A Simple Choice
by Bastian
Summary: An Imperial cadet on a backwater world finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy.


Author's Note: 

This is a story I wrote back in 1999. The way it began was I picked up an idea a friend had abandoned at the time, whereby the main story was comprised of some of the events depicted in the _TIE Fighter_ CD-ROM game. Over time it changed and this story was actually created as a prelude to a bigger story which never really got off the ground. It basically combines elements of _The X-Files _into a hybrid of the two universes, not really a crossover of the two. It's also inspired by the comic _Star Trek: Starfleet Academy_ and there a lot of name references from that series and a book by the same name, as well as from _Space: Above And Beyond_. 

With the story I know some of it or a lot of it is kind of cliche, accompanied by needless dialogue. Some of it also might not make sense because when I wrote it I only thought I'd ever send it to my friend who I talked at length about it and explained it perhaps more than I should have. Some things I made up because this was when I didn't have access to the Net and also wasn't really worried. I had my own ideas about how _Star Wars _works, not to say better but just different. I still treat _Star Wars_ as if there are multiple universes, like one for just the movies, one for the trilogy plus books and (some) games. Some of the scenes I was inspired by watching _Dawson's Creek_, the movie _She's All That_ and the song _Kiss Me_ by _Six Pence None The Richer_. 

Author's Apology:

On page twenty of the old MS Works document of this story there is a discussion between two characters that is almost completely identical to a discussion had by two characters in Angela Phillips story _Slaying Dragons_. In some fan stories I believe it is alright if say someone writes a story set at the same time as a movie or book and they crisscross from one to the other, or if it is an alternate timeline and repeat the same dialogue to show where something might diverge. But this isn't the same. However the story is never going to be published nor will I ever claim it as fully my own. Think of it as an homage to that story.

Spoilers:

Nothing serious as this is set between _A New Hope_ and _The Empire Strikes Back_. But there are references to things from _Vision To The Future_ and I'm not sure what else. Probably nothing. Some things similar to things in _The Black Fleet Crisis_.

Feedback welcome. Anything at all. Especially if you hate it, no matter how much you've read. Don't be polite. Too often I wish I would just give someone a review saying their story sucked but I don't want to be rude. Deliver the diss.

By the way, if things look a bit odd, say you see colour instead of color, that's just because I'm Australian. 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A Simple Choice

_He looked up at the sky. _

The sun was bright now, had gotten higher while he hadn't been looking. He put his hand over his brow, shading his eyes from the brightness of the sun, able to take in a look of the sky. The deep-blue sky blazed overhead as he sat back down among the long, dark-green grass and waited. 

He watched, waiting for the sign, knowing it would come soon. He didn't know how long he had been here or what it was he was looking for, but soon it would show itself. 

He froze. 

Maybe sooner than later. . . 

A noise from behind had startled him, and he rose, turning to where it was coming from. A light, a magnificent light was coming in low towards him. He stared at it, as the object grew bigger and bigger as it shot towards him, then it passed him by. Quickly, he turned , following the blast of light as it soared onwards. The astral phenomena, a comet, blazed a deep purple colour as it continued through the sky, twin tails forking out from it behind it. It's wondrous beauty dazzling as it followed in the same direction as before, a direction taking it lower towards the ground. He took off racing after it with all his might, but in his heart he knew that he would and could never reach it. It would be too far off by now and even running at the speed he was going would take too long to reach it. 

Suddenly, something inside him made him stop running. He glanced toward the comet, and saw it sparkle as it disappeared over the horizon, and then a brilliant flash like lightning flashed from where it was.

He counted. One one thousand, two one thousand, three one. . . Suddenly, the sonic boom hit him, then repeated, then repeated once again. He was almost knocked off his feet by the deafening noise, but he covered his ears with his hands, and tried not to fall over, the ground seeming to be shaking under his feet. As the sound died away, he looked up. 

Something was racing his way. A huge moving wall, which glistened with energy, was racing across the field in front of him. It seemed to stretch to the sky, and as it moved, it moved with a odd noise that sounded like breathing. He backed up, but knew there was no where to go. He stopped, and placed both hands down on his sides and watched. 

He turned, suddenly, for he could feel a disturbance in the surroundings behind him. Peering above the long grass stalks, he finally saw her. A young blonde haired woman, with hair, for the most pulled back in a tight bun, but several short strands hung off her brow. She wiped them away, as if she could sense his thoughts, and then started gesturing wildly for him to quickly approach. He turned, looking over his shoulder, as his eyes widened as the wall approached him. He took off, running as fast as he could towards her, with the wall closing on his heels. He jumped forward, leaping through the air towards the woman, and then crashed down in the dirt. His bones ached, and he looked up, as the woman came and sat beside him, and then she held her hand to the sky. A purpley coloured ring, situated on her ring finger glowed, and then the barrier swept over them, the glow from the ring seeming to deflect the energy wall. 

He gazed into the woman's eyes, as she looked down at the field. They seemed distant, sad and lonely, but when she him looking at her she brightened. She couldn't have been older than himself; she must have been at least a year younger. 

She pointed down towards the ground, and then he could feel the ground begin to fade away. He felt himself floating, as if in a river. He could feel water beneath him carry him along, lapping lightly at his feet, as they drifted lazily downstream. He looked at the woman, and she looked forwards, towards something. Then he could feel it. He looked forwards and he could see the light. An immensely powerful light that came from ashore, and he could see shapes moving beyond the light and realised they were people. People moved towards the bank and beckoned towards him to come ashore as well. They drifted towards them. . .

****

****

Twelve days earlier. . .

__

****

Takain Imperial Academy, Temu City.

__

The planet Takain was luscious blue-green world, home of it's sectors regional government facilities and the Imperial command centre. The command centre comprised the Imperial sector control, Imperial supply depot and Imperial weapons facility. Among these things, considered necessary to the defense of the Orlomon sector, was the sector's Imperial Navy academy, home to the best and the brightest officers, soldiers and pilots the Orlomon sector had to offer. 

Inside the academy grounds, in one of the dormitories, Tuke Dulmer awoke with a start. He sat bolt upright, heart racing as he looked around the room for familiarity. On the other side of the room Tuke's roommate Edam Astrun slept soundly. Astrun was reknown at the Academy for being a heavy sleeper, claiming to have once slept through a Rebel attack on his home colony of Zedabete. Tuke had to come to believe it.

He saw the chronometer switch from 11:20 to 11:21 and then pulled back the sheets, climbing from the bed and moving to the window of their room. He had calmed down a lot than when he had first awaken, his fright seeming bizarre now, almost unnecessary. But then, he realised, it wasn't fright that had scared him. It was the intensity of the dream that had shocked him, it all seeming too real to just have been a dream. He looked out to the sky, the stars seeming to more dimmer this evening, less like they were normal, or maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him. The stars in the skies of Takain and his homeworld of Kataan often seemed to look the same, but other times, like tonight, they could feel so different. Kataan's stars always seemed to dazzle like small explosions in the sky, why Takain could feel so. .insignificant.

He felt cold. The sky seemed so black and he was able to remember the dream fully now, all the details. He moved back to the bed, laying down and pulling the sheets over him. The room seemed darker than before and he pulled the quilt up around him, feeling as if it was protection. He let out a breath he had been holding for quite a while and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. 

****

Imperial Space Installation NM-27, Vandal Sector

3:24 hours.

"Come on baby," he chortled, tapping the command board sporadically. "Come one more time, just for me. You can do it."

Saaketh Noona glanced at his computers hard disk, as a soft green light began blinking on and off. "Yes, that's it." The light began blinking faster and faster, and Noona held his hands together, as they did so, closing his eyes. A second later, a beep erupted from the computer and a huge smile spread over his face, and he rested his hands down on the computer's command board. As the screen began to change, he inserted a small, thick oblong into the computer and then waited. The screen was beginning to coalesce, as he ran his fingers through his long, scruffy hair and then it happened. The screen had come together and he could see what was on it. "You son of a. .," he said breaking off and then tapped in several commands. A hum sounded from the computer as the information was transferred and then he pulled it the oblong from the computer kissing it. "You beauty," he said gleefully to it. 

An alert notification suddenly appeared on the screen and he swore. A furious tapping of commands and he was now in the clear, the computer now free from the Imperial Hypernet, the Net being where he had pulled the information from. Inserting the oblong back into the computer he had made several copies, one on the computer and two others on datacards. A fourth was made, as he switched on another computer in his room, transferring the information into it, an older model computer. Moments later both computers were switched off, and grabbing a container pouch, Noona left the room. 

****

Coruscant, Sesswenna Sector.

East 46th Street, Imperial City.

3:30 hours.

Artinio Diminies turned the corner, speeding along the hallway at a fast pace. The news he had just heard was terrible and he was dreading what his master would say when he was told. 

He knocked twice and entered when he was granted. With his hands held tightly behind his back, Artinio approached the heavyset man who was sitting down behind his desk. 

The man looked up at him. "What is it Artinio?"

He paused before responding. "Sir, someone has broken into the SO files." 

A noticeable change swept over the elder's face, obviously caught off guard. It was a matter of pride, Artinio knew, for Tsrif Redle to be well informed of all the happenings in the Empire. The SO files were the deepest well of the Empire's information and those that tried to drink from that well were very dangerous indeed.

"Is it known who would do such a thing?"

Artinio shook his head. "But we have his location."

The elder's eyes flickered, gazing past him. "Then have our man contacted so that we may have this matter dealt with satisfactorily." 

Artinio nodded exiting the room.

It was later when Noona got back to his room and several hours passed as he monitored data on his computer, sifting through files. Noona's role on NM-27 was senior data analyst for the Imperial forces. He was known by many as 'Doctor Noona', delighted in drinking White Gethsemane in his off hours and this was his first transgression against the Empire. He had always believed in the Empire, never doubted it, until a friend of his had died in a starfighter 'accident' and he'd never been the same about it. She had the only light in his life and when she'd died he needed to know why. When the information was deemed 'classified' he knew he would have to find out the reasons his own way.

A knock sounded at the door. Saaketh wasn't expecting anyone, especially at this early hour of the morning, so proceeded to the door with caution. Looking through the view slit he could see nothing out there. He brought his hand down to the door control for a second before he looked up again.

Something didn't seem right.

Saaketh slowly backed away from the door, contemplating what he should do. But he was out of time. Just then an explosion threw him through the air and he fell clattering to the ground. The door has been blown open and Imperial stormtroopers stormed in brandishing their rifles. Saaketh glanced up in fear as they surrounded him and then a single guard raised a weapon, focusing on his head. He fired.

The section the room was located in had been cordoned off. As the stormtroopers began the destruction of the computer systems a procession of two cloaked figures and a third man entered the room. The third man, a tall, basset faced man, dressed in a black suit, looked around at the others and the lead stormtrooper approached him, removing his mask.

"Report," spoke the man. 

"The bodies have been dealt with, sir. Investigation has finished, we're just mopping up now."

"What was found?"

The stormtrooper continued. "Three data cards with information, two data blocks on his two computers."

A chirp from a headset sounded. The stormtrooper commander spoke into the headset, then turned to the suited man. "A report from the courier, sir. We think we've found it, sir."

The man nodded, congratulating the captain on his work. He pulled a white, cylindrical shaped object from a packet, putting it into his mouth. The man smoked on his cigarra.

Several hours later, when the smoking man had long left NM-27, a courier ship left the station and jumped into hyperspace. Onboard, buried deep in a satchel, an oblong shaped object continued it's journey, bound for a little planet called Takain.

****

Takain

7:37 hours.

An explosion to port distracted him and now he was off course. He had misjudged the Rebel fighters, as they came around behind him. He was used to human pilots; their tolerance for g-forces were the same as his own, but, and he checked his reading to make sure. He was right. Those weren't humans flying so close behind him but Grannans. This was going to be a tough one.

He wrenched his flight stick forward hard, twisting his starfighter to port. The TIE Fighter pitched down, disorientating his pursuers and for a few moments he was in the clear, as he struggled to bring the ship around to bear on them. It was no good. In the first few seconds of being in the clear, they'd already reoriented and he was back where he'd started: him in front with them on his six. 

Several red laser bolts shot past the ship as he tried to perform evasive maneuvers and he desperately wished that he had chosen a starfighter with shields. 

That was the thing that most annoyed him about the Empire; the Rebel Alliance, with their ragtag group of pilots and the Galactic Empire with their continuing influx of capable flyboy's, and it was the Rebellion that had the ships with their shields. He'd read up on Imperial history in his History class back in school and he'd read about how when the Empire had developed their first TIE class starfighter they had been revolutionary machines but had some flaws. Shields were one, with hyperdrive being another. Many he'd read about had felt that the TIE's lack of necessities were an easy adjustment from the older model starfighters, due to their increased mobility and speed. Many of his friends disagreed. He himself would have sacrificed his left arm for a single shield generator, as a laser bolt impacted.

Focusing on the damage display, he saw nothing registering and as he pulled his ship out of a spin, he killed the throttle pulling back hard on the stick. The TIE Fighter, now losing it's forceful momentum shot up perpendicular to it's last position and he nearly blacked out from the rush. Keying the drive forward, he switched his laser turrets to cross-link and as the first Rebel X-wing came into his sights he fired. Two more shots and he hit the X-wing's power converter and the ship stalled in space. The second X-wing was taken out moments later and he engaged for the target.

It lit up the viewport and he locked onto it, as the Head's Up Display showed it glowing on his Combat Multiview Display. A solitary Rebel _Bashti-_class Mon Calamari cruiser. It was dead; there were people alive on the ship, slowly trying to bring the ship back on-line but the ship was pitted with scorch marks, pitted from his and his wingmen's battering of the ship mere moments before. No shields, weapon systems or engines remained and it's hull integrity was down to ten percent. It had put up a good fight, destroying both his wingmen and two container transports, before he'd been able to bring down the shields. He gritted his teeth as he closed to one-point-five klicks from the ship and then opened fire. Seconds later, as the ship burst into a magnificent display of fire and debris it was all over.

"Primary mission objectives complete," spoke a distinctly recorded deep voice. "The Emperor will be pleased." 

"Good work Alpha One," rang an accented voice. "Your battle here has left the _Restrainer_ able to handle the other insurrectionists. She will rendezvous shortly." Swinging the fighter around in the opposite direction, he pressed a glowing green button. A moment later the world began to melt away and then was replaced by darkness. He pulled the helmet off his head and found himself back in the room he had started off in: VR chamber. A display screen on the right wall showed information:

SIMULATOR MODULE A-37-TAU

'REICHARD STRONGARM' - 'BATTLE OF BACAS'

TIE 101-ALPHA

PILOT: DULMER, TUKE ML-94117

DURATION: 16:45

LASER CANNON SHOTS FIRED:334HITS:331

CONCUSSION MISSILES FIRED: 0 HITS:0

OPPONENT SHOTS FIRED: 211HITS:56

WINGMEN STATUS:

A2 - INACTIVE

A3 - INACTIVE

COMBAT RESULT: IMPERIAL VICTORY

SCORE: 93%

A huge grin spread across his face, as he looked to several of his fellow cadets, frowns pronounced menacingly on his face. He laughed, pulling the tactile interfaces from his hands and feet. A few knocks on the door and it opened, sliding up into the roof, allowing him outside.

Shayn Vansen fastened up her jumpsuit, and then checked her appearance in the mirror. She ran her fingers once through her hair, tied back in a black zecan, checking it for irregularities and turned so that her side was facing the mirror. She sighed, and then turned back to the mirror, fiddling with the front of the jumpsuit. Satisfied as much as she could be, she moved toward the door, exiting the women's bathrooms, stepping out onto the main arena of the academy, known as the promenade. It was called this due to the large array of recreational and food emporiums that catered for the several hundred cadets that resided here. She glanced around once upon exiting, checking to see if anyone knew was around and then she proceeded along at a leisurely pace, glancing around to see if any of her friends were near the diner, and when she couldn't see any, turned and headed down towards the bar.

"Gentlemen," Bobbie Ray began, leaning over a chair to get a better look, "our subject has a name. She has eluded us many times, always seeming to stay one step ahead of us every chance we have of trying to expose her. But I think that this time we have finally found the evidence to expose her. By this time tomorrow," he said pointing a finger to create a more dramatic effect, "Cadet Vansen will be within our grasp!" 

"Yeah," cried Nev Reoh, pointing excitedly. "She's in our grasp."

Edam Astrun eyed both of his friends, raising an eyebrow. He churned over what they were saying in his mind, before finally laughing. "Let me get this straight. You are saying that Shayn Vansen, the poster-girl for nice, little Imperial family girls . . is a spy for some mysterious alien organisation," and he paused, giving a laugh before he continued, "and that a first year cadet has been outsmarting you guys for the past several months, in your ridiculous 'quest for the truth'," exclaimed Edam, using his fingers in the motion of inverted commas. 

Nev and Bobbie looked to each other then turned quickly back to Edam. "Yeah. That's right," Bobbie said.

"Yeah. Right," piped up Nev, nodding enthusiastically.

Edam rubbed his eyes, taking a moment. He pulled a couple of bakes out of the packet in front of him and chewed them. "So what was she doing just then?"

Nev looked expectantly at Bobbie.

"She was contacting her home base about orders, using a small device concealed up one of her nostrils. This gives her the advantage of looking like she's just any normal glitterstim user."

Nev shook his head. "But she's not."

Edam looked to see where Vansen had got to now. She was further down the promenade, looking into various rooms and then continuing on.

"So what's she doing now?" asked Edam pointing towards her.

The others followed where he was pointing. "She's. . .she's," mused Bobbie in thought. He snapped his fingers. "I know. She's looking for her contact, who she was supposed to meet, but. .but must have gotten lost, and now. .now she's gone looking for him."

"Gotten lost, yeah."

Edam shook his head. "I am sorry to disappoint you guys, but you've gotten a bit wrong there somewhere."

The others turned to him. "Why do you say that?" 

Edam pointed back towards her. "Because if you were right, then her contact is our good friend, Mr. Dulmer."

"What?" Both turned, looking at Vansen who was moving towards Dulmer.

"Tuke!" 

Dulmer slowed, turning to see who it was that was calling him. There was no one behind him, so he looked to his left and then right. Then he saw her. Shayn Vansen was gesturing wildly for him to come over where she was standing, near the holoquad. Tuke looked around, as other cadets passed him by, then proceeded over to her. She smiled as he approached her.

"Good morning," greeted Vansen cheerfully, extending a hand to him. Tuke looked at it, and then catching on shook it.

"Hullo," Tuke said, returning the welcome.

"Guess what!" she said excitedly. "Today we've got our first lessons in a real starfighter. I'm hoping I get a chance to have a run in a TIE Fighter."

"Yeah." Tuke tried to appear excited for her but after having spent two years already at the academy he couldn't muster the same enthusiasm. But he tried. "I remember first year, how long we had to wait to get to fly a bird. Seven weeks of study. Man, I couldn't wait to get a chance to fly."

Shayn listened attentively. "So what ship did you end up flying?"

"Shuttle. Old _Manalesc-_class cargo shuttle, paint peeling off all over the sides and the CMD didn't have auto-tracking systems or even a HUD."

Vansen nodded. "Well, I want to get at least a Fighter, maybe a Bomber. Pound some Rebel bogies into spacedust." She made a fist with one hand and smashed it into her other, illustrating her resolve. 

Tuke looked passed Shayn, up the promenade. He could see Edam and the clown patrol looking his way and could only imagine what they were saying about Shayn and him. It was strange because he wasn't worried about how normal people would percieve them, but his friends weren't exactly normal. He rubbed his brow. "Hey Shayn. Sorry, but I've got to go." He nodded to her, moving past and heading up towards the others, but then he could hear soft foot falls beside him and turned as Vansen caught up with him.

"That's okay," she said beaming. "I've got to meet some friends of mine." Tuke headed into the diner, heading for Edam's table.

"Are we still on for tonight?"

Tuke turned, looking as her mouth had curved down. He thumbed her, smiling. "Wouldn't miss it. I'll check you." She waved, smiling, and then walked off.

Tuke lowered his head and took a breath, turning to head for Edam. Edam was looking his way.

"Well, if that don't take the cake," exclaimed Edam as Tuke took a seat around the table. "Mr. Dulmer, I'd watch it if I were you. It appears you may have picked up a satellite on one of your journeys."

Bobbie Ray made some beeping sounds. "Tractor beam locked on target." His voice became more high pitched. "She's reeling you in!" 

"I will survive. I'm the can do kid," remarked Tuke, loftly. "Didn't you know that?"

"Ynhhh, dnnn nnnn," Bobbie Ray continued, biting one of his fingernails. He looked up as the others stared at him. "I don't know, Tuke. She looked pretty sweet at you when she waved goodbye."

"Yeah, sweet."

"And, the way she gestured for you to comeover!" He mock rubbed a tear away from his eye. "I wish I had a vid of that, for the children, y'know."

"Can it guys," mumbled Tuke, grabbing a small handful of Edam's bakes. "We're just friends, kinda." He paused thinking that over. "We aren't really even friends yet, just. . .fellow officers of the Navy."

"Yes, but 'yet' is the significant word isn't it? You like her don't you?" 

Tuke was looking down at the table and allowed his mouth to curve up slowly.

Bobbie Ray sipped at some kind of beverage. "But Tuke, anyway, you gotta know you can't even be any type of friend with Vansen!" He looked conspirately at the other three around the table. "Don't you know she is a spy!" He nodded, continuing. "A secret government organisation owns her stock, created to experiment on people, using new genetic techniques taken from crashed alien spacecrafts! And Vansen has been sent to spy on us!" He nodded at each of them and then took a breath. He looked across at Edam. "Can I have some bakes?" 

"Yeah, bakes."

Edam tossed him a couple of bakes which Bobbie Ray immediately started munching on.

Tuke raised an eyebrow at Edam. "Bobbie Ray, just what exactly were you going on about a moment ago."

Bobbie Ray nodded to Nev who started copying him. "So now you want our help do you Tuke? Well, I am afraid I saw that eyebrow raise you did to Edam a few seconds ago, so it looks like-"

"Spill it," ordered Edam, using his command tone.

Bobbie Ray shrugged. "Your gal pal Vansen's got a secret communication link where her left nostril's supposed to be." He leaned in towards Tuke. "She works for a unit, codenamed MUFON."

Edam sighed. "Excuse me, Mr. Investigator, but you said before that the group was called NICAP. Now, suddenly, it has changed? What's the story?"

Nev looked worriedly at Bobbie Ray. The other man looked at his hands. "I must have. . .that is, something must have, I think. You know, now that you mention it-."

"Hey guys!"

Tuke looked, sure of where the soft female voice had come from. Brown, wavy hair, curved around her smallish frame. Shanen Tulis was standing behind Edam.

"Shanen!" exclaimed Bobbie Ray. He gestured for a seat. "Won't you join us?"

Shanen smiled. "Why that's so nice of you Bobbie Ray, and so evidently suspicious because of just that. What's the catch?"

"He just wants a distraction because we finally put a hole in his conspiracy plan," spoke up Edam, chuckling. He turned, looking at her. "Take a seat."

"Thanks," she sat down between Edam and Tuke, shifting her seat so that Edam had to move to so she could sit properly.

"How's it going?" asked Bobbie Ray.

"Good." She looked around at them, looking in particular at Tuke. "Had to see Kamilah and Pava about some work for our Engineering project."

"That's that refurbished R1 astromech droid, right?" asked Edam.

"Yeah, it's called 'Spot' now, because Pava was making up this song last week, while we were working on it, and somehow she started singing 'I can spot and you cannot, which is a lot of rot', so she started calling it Spot and now the name's sort of stuck."

"Sounds great," said Bobbie Ray drily. 

"So I saw them about the stuff," continued Shanen, ignoring Bobbie Ray's remark, "and then as I was walking from the Engineering lab, I happened to look over the balcony, and who did I see but Mr. Dulmer, chatting up that young Vansen girl!" Four of them immediately cracked up laughing. Tuke, the lone person not smiling, sat there looking around at them with a detached expression on his face. 

"I didn't 'chat' her up," stated Tuke with a reserved expression. "I...talked to her. We're just friends."

Shanen looked over her shoulder, as if she had just been called from someone behind her. She turned back to the others and grimaced, holding her head. "I think I'm picking up something. It's coming through distorted. Wait, wait, it's clearing. Yes, I can hear it. It says," then she paused, allowing her voice to change to a sweet little girl's voice. " 'Are we still on for tonight?'" She continued, still with same voice. "Oh please, Tuke, won't you go on a date with me, please! I feel so lonely at night, that I just want to snuggle up at night next to your nice, big, warm body!"

The other three laughed.

"Oh, quit it," said Tuke, rolling his eyes.

Now Shanen used a different voice, a more masculine voice. "Of course, Shayn, I'd do anything for you. 'I'll check you', babe, tonight, my place." She winked at them a couple of times.

"Hmmm," was all that came from Tuke, before he rose to his feet. "I'm outta here."

"Oh don't run away in a huff!" Shanen said exasperatedly.

He turned, his face with a smile. "I'm not. I have to meet Coach Vymer about the team and I ain't being late for class." He nodded to them. "Later."

Bobbie Ray turned to Nev. Whispering he said, "Tuke's an alien replicon." Nev's eyes bulged.

Shanen let out a breath, turning to Edam. "How was that?"

"A little too dramatic, but everybody has those moments now and again."

"Are they actually dating? I still couldn't tell."

Edam shrugged. "Maybe they will. It's all up to him."  
Shanen nodded slowly.

****

18:30 hours

It was later, several hours after classes had finished, that Tuke returned to the dormitories. He strode up the steps to the first floor, two at a time, then turned walking along the hallway for his door. Reaching the door, he turned the handle, but it wouldn't turn all the way. He knocked twice, but when there was no answer, he knew Edam wasn't home and that the door was locked for protection. Sometimes Edam would lock the door, even if he was home but that would be normally when he had a girl over. Edam and him had devised the double knock routine early on, to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment. 

He pulled out his datacard, inserting it into the port set in the door frame, and with a soft _click_ the door unlocked. Something made him stop before he entered, though. Looking down the corridor another door had opened and a fellow classmate was heading out of the room. She turned and kissed what could only be her boyfriend, before turning and moving towards the exit. 

Tuke sighed and pulled the door closed. If Edam wasn't here to talk to then there was only one person that he felt like talking to right now. He moved down the corridor. 

Shanen squinted out of the doorway towards Tuke. He stood uncertainly in front of the door with a weird expression on his face, wondering whether he should have called beforehand as he now felt guilty for waking her up. 

"Tuke," she greeted, nodding to him. "What are you doing here?" She was dressed in a dark-blue turtleneck shirt and dark-blue pants, hair pulled back into braids. 

He shrugged. "Just came over to talk, but..uh, sorry about waking you up." He made a motion to leave. "I'll go now."

"Nah," she said, blinking again. "Come on in." 

"You sure?"

She nodded, gesturing for him to enter. He did and she closed the door behind him. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep anyway. It's all the biochemistry," she said raising her voice slightly on the last word. "Can't remember any of it. So what did you want to talk about?" 

He looked uncomfortable for a moment, but that passed. "Just about Shayn. Shayn Vansen."

"Hey, if this about before, sorry about that." She yawned, stretching out. "I tried to catch you during late break to say something, then after classes, but I couldn't find you."

He shook his head to hush her and smiled. "No, it's not that. It's...something else."

"What's up?"

"Um. I like her. I'm not sure how much but...." He broke off.

"But...?" she repeated, hinting for him to continue.

"I think I like her .. a lot." He fidgeted. "I don't know how to act around her." He put out his hands and gestured outwards. "Like not just around her but like when other people are around."

"Like Edam?"

Tuke nodded slightly and then gestured to her. "And you, kinda."

Shanen grinned at that. "I had no idea I was thought of as such a fierce creature."

He laughed. "It's not that." She looked at him pointedly after hearing that. "No, that's not what I mean."

"Well, I'd like to know what you did mean then," she said jokingly. 

"Shayn's young, younger than me, you, Edam. And she's a girl. I don't know how to talk to girls, really."

"You talk to me okay, don't you?"

He nodded. "But you're different." She raised her eyes up at this. "You're a friend."

Shanen nodded slowly. "Uh huh. Well, I think she...likes you, so you're halfway there, if that's what you want. I've seen you talk to her before, like today for instance. You did okay then, didn't you?"

He looked at her. "I did? Because I was thinking about doing something along the lines of...not showing up tonight. And I'm still wondering whether that's the best plan."

Shanen paused. "It could be the safest. But it's not the best."

"I've gone through a lot of plans, y'know. There's others."

"I'm sure there is." She chose her words carefully. "I think that's not good for this type of situation, but."

"Some of these plans could help. I mean, who knows what could happen. She'd probably get bored of me quickly, so why bother."

_Ah_, she said to herself. _I know where this is going_. "Is this about Zea?"

"Zea?" he repeated, wondering what she had to do with this. "I don't think so."

Shanen shook her head at him. "Look, I've seen the way you looked when you talked about her. And I know how she was very special to you. But you can't let that influence how you act around other people." She spoke softer. "Some people stay. And some leave."

Tuke looked up at her. "She was my best friend, Shanen. If that doesn't mean anything, I don't know what does."

Shanen nodded at him, listening and watching how he acted.

"I mean," he said, gesturing as he searched for words, "she knew me as me, not what people thought of me in the home. And she was beautiful, you know, blonde hair that you can only dream of so lovely but she had it as real, and her eyes...a blue that you had to keep looking at. And she was brave, far braver than me." He looked at her nodding as he spoke. "Saved my life once, y'know?"

She shook her head. "I wasn't aware, no." 

"True story." He shrugged. "When I was in the home I wasn't all that good at sports, swimming especially, though I thought I was. Tried swimming one night when no one was around and ended up almost drowning as a result." He paused, remembering. "But she saved me."

"How did she know?" 

He looked up at her with an expression as if the question had never been raised before. "I never did find that out. I guess I never will." He stopped talking and was silent for a few moments and then he looked up towards nothing in particular. "Why did you leave me?" he said softly.

Shanen looked to him, responding in the same quiet voice. "We all must choose our own path."

He turned to her. "But how often does it lead to the Rebellion? To _that _life?" He gestured with his hands for a moment. "Our actions lead to consequences, repercussions. Makes us who we are."

"I know that," she voiced.

"I know, I know," he said, slightly apologetic. "I just can't get my mind around the idea of where it all began. What caused her to choose to follow that order, or disorder."

"You can't let hurt keep running your life."

He let out a breath. "I never told anyone this, but I took some strange comfort in the fact that the last thing she saw here was me. That gave me a small amount of happiness." 

"Tuke..."

His voice became angrier, and something inside of him decided it needed out. "But when I think about what she's done, what she's doing, it just makes me so...." His voice grew quieter, more bitter. "She could've tried to stay here and work out her problems instead of running off, to betray everything she'd ever known. The Empire, anyone who ever cared about....we didn't mean a damn to her!" The last he said with such quiet force that even he was shocked into silence.

Shanen didn't know what to say to him. She wasn't a counsellor and that's what it sounded like he needed. She was just a friend and that was good but what could she even say, she wondered. "You need to try." 

Tuke looked up at her, unsure as to what she was meaning. 

"They all won't be like that. They all won't go." She looked at him earnestly. "I won't." She let out a breath. "There's something you have to do. And you have to do it, because I know it will help you. You have a date to attend." Tuke's mouth sagged, but Shanen pulled him to his feet. "Tuke if you want to think about what could have done to stop her and a timeline where you did that, you can do that to your hearts content. You can feel that, if that's what you're saying. Remember this though. She's gone. Things do change sometimes." She patted his arm, speaking softer "The fact is, none of that matters anyway. The reality is there is nothing you can do about the past, only the present and the future." She took a breath. "Now maybe Shayn Vansen is in that future, maybe she's not. But you are never going to find out unless you try." 

"Shanen," he began. "Thank you." He took her in his arms, embracing her, and she returned the sentiment. After a long moment she stepped away from him. "I don't know what-"

She nodded. "I know. You would do fine without me Tuke." She paused. "If you want to talk to me about this again, or anything for that matter, you know where to find me. Y'know?"

"I know." 

She was about to say something but he took hold of the door handle, twisting it. He turned to her and her a quick wave, nodding. "I will see you tomorrow."

Shanen was left alone in the apartment and she closed her eyes for a moment. Moments later she left her room and headed down the corridor in the opposite way to where Tuke had gone. 

She slowly walked down the stairs and stepped outside her building into the cool night air. She brushed at her hair with her fingers, pushing some stray strands of her hair out of her eyes and then pulled a small silver, ovular-shaped object from her back pocket. She headed along the footpath, heading past the academy's main garden, where a large fountain centrepiece was spewing water into the air. 

On the object were several buttons and a small display screen. She tapped several and then put the box up to her ear. A soft ringing noise emitted from it and then faded. "This is Ebony," she said speaking softly, the box still placed near her ear. "Reporting in. No sightings." She quickly switched off the device, putting it into her back pocket and then pulled her shirt down lower, concealing the device. 

****

21:16 IST .

It was later, after the main feature had finished, that Tuke and Shayn stepped out of the Temu Main Street cinema. The air was cool and crisp, as they walked across the road, The Foodstar restaurant's brilliant fluorescent sign gleaming in the darkness. Several speeders moved along the quiet road, soft humming noises emanating from them.

Waiting in line, it took only several minutes before they were taken to their tables. The main meal consisted of hasperat and ratamba stew, with glasses of dresqi, an alcoholic drink created from small, ovular shaped fruits. Before long the meal was over and they were once again outside the restaurant, heading in a direction through the park that would take them back to the academy. 

"I had a lovely time tonight Tuke," said Shayn, as they walked. Tuke had been surprised when he had shown up at her door, for he was dressed entirely in black; simple clothes, black pants, shirt and jacket. But when he opened the door Shayn had taken his breath away. She was wearing a short black dress and her hair had been done up. She looked older and more beautiful tonight.

Tuke turned to her. "I did as well." He smiled, running his eyes over her. "You looked really lovely tonight." She looked away and when she looked back she was smiling. 

They stopped walking, standing in the middle of one of the walkways through the path. Tuke moved closer to her, putting his hands on sides of her face, and he bent down, intending to kiss her.

"Dulmer!" called a voice suddenly, emanating from behind them. Shayn looked away and Tuke turned to where the sound came from When he saw the person who had called him he sighed and pulled away from her, scowling. A young man was sitting on a bench several metres away, watching them.

"Hawks," mouthed Tuke angrily. "Don't you have anything better to do?" Tuke paused, pretending to think that over. "No wait, you have no life do you Hawks."

Hawks shook his head, sighing. "Dulmer, please let's be grown ups now. No need to resort to name calling and pulling hair." He grinned at Shayn. "Though for you, I'd make an exception."

Shayn sighed. "I'd have to be spaced out or stupid to even consider going out with someone like you."

Hawks stuck his thumb up, grinning. "My, my, don't the two of you make such a nice couple, not just in the way you look but in the way you act. You two were made for each other." He rubbed his chin. "Although, that could be said about a lot of things, right Tuke," he said, stating rather than asking. "You sure you don't want to hear me out?"

"Not tonight," he said. He knew sitting on the fence was his only safe bet with Hawks. He turned to Shayn, making his voice more a commanding tone. "Let's go."

They started off walking, heading back to the academy, but they hadn't gone more than a few dozen metres when they heard the sound of someone catching up from behind them. Tuke turned and saw that Hawks was jogging up behind them. He panted as he dropped into a walk behind them. 

"Okay, I forget we have a history. My bad. But c'mon," Hawks said. "I'm dropping my act so hear me out. It's a barter system Tuke. One for you, one for me. There's no harm." 

Tuke nodded. "That's great. Bye." He led Shayn in a different direction, cutting across the park instead of walking along the path. Hawks caught up a few seconds later.

"I know it is Tuke." His demeanour had changed. He no longer seemed so confrontational now as he'd oft seemed. Tuke didn't know what he was now, but it seemed to be. .serious? "I know we aren't friends that much nowadays but we used to be good."

"Use to is the operating phrase." But Tuke tried to ignore how he'd felt about Hawks in the past. "So one for me then."

The other man waved a finger at him. "Alright. You got me." He gestured to an area of the park in the direction they were heading that had the lights slightly dimmed. "Don't go through there. Bad stuff might happen." Tuke's glare at Hawks made him laugh. "So what do you say?"

After looking at the area he'd gestured to, Tuke considered it. Hawks had kind of saved them of his own accord, that was if there had been several people. He and Shayn could have taken them on if something had arisen and their self-defense training might have been enough to take them all down, but there were just too many variables. He shrugged. "I'll get back to you."

"Dulmer-."

Tuke turned to him. "I will consider it." He gestured to Shayn. "I would like to walk her home now, if that's all right." He turned back and the couple continued walking.

Hawks watched them go, then headed off in a different direction

Shayn's building loomed before them, as they walked through the main gates of the academy. They stepped onto the grass, walking around the small lake set into the front of the academy grounds.

"So who was that Hawks guy?" asked Shayn as they walked alongside her building.

Tuke shrugged. "One second you think you know someone, then in a moment everything can change and you're right back where you started." He turned to her, realising he had been rambling. "Vinnis Hawks. He's a bit of a loner, only hangs around with a small group of people." They stopped outside the main door to the building. "He believes that everyone in the Empire is entitled to know about everything that's going on in the galaxy. Like all information about what the Empire is doing should be able to be accessible by anyone." He raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Shayn put her up at her mouth as she burst out laughing. "Sounds like he's been wacked too many times in Phys ED. How could someone believe something like that?"

Tuke shrugged. "He's got to be on glitterstim or spice." He shook his head. "I don't know how someone can end up like that."

Shayn stepped up a couple of stairs, turning to Tuke. "Thank you for tonight," she said in a soft voice. "I really enjoyed it."

"I did as well." He paused. "I was wondering, like some other time or something, if you'd like to, maybe go out again." He looked away for a second and then looked back at her. She was smiling

"I would like that." 

Tuke breathed a sigh of relief. "Well I better get home. Edam's probably waiting up." She raised an eyebrow and Tuke laughed. "Don't ask." He turned to leave but then stopped. He turned back to her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and then he was gone, disappearing into the darkness. 

Shayn looked where he had gone and rubbed the spot on her face where he had kissed her. Still smiling, she turned heading into the building. Her dorm was on the ground floor so she did not have long to wait before she arrived at her door. Once unlocked she stepped inside, prepared for the darkness that would surely be there. The lights were on and her roommate was lying on the covers of her bed, reading a book. 

"Jaeme," asked Shayn in wonderment. "What are you doing up?"

Jaeme glanced at Shayn, lowering her book. "Nothing much. Just reading. Privateer," she said, showing her the cover. She studied Shayn's face, grinning. "You're face!" she exclaimed. "It's glowing! Something tells me this night went good for the two of you. How was it?" she inquired, raising her eyebrows with her mouth curving in a big smirk. 

"It was. .wonderful," said Shayn dreamily. "We saw this nice film about a love story at the cinema and then went to _The Foodstar_ afterwards. It was great!"

Jaeme nodded. "Did he kiss you?" 

Shayn didn't say anything for several seconds and then answered. "Sorta." She grabbed her night clothes and moved into the bathroom and started wiping some of her make-up away. 

"What do you mean 'sorta'?" called Jaeme through the open door. "Did he kiss you or didn't he?" Shayn popped her head out, her hair loose and hanging every which way. 

"I mean we were going to kiss in the park, but then," she said remembering, "this weird guy who I think saved us from being mugged interrupted us. Before, when Tuke walked me to the building, when he was about to go I thought he was going to but all he did was kiss me on the cheek."

Jaeme gave her a look. "Oh, how disappointing. Especially since you are one of the few girls in our year who is actually dating someone, let alone someone older than you. If you'd like to trade places with me I am _happy_ to do so!" 

Now Shayn gave her a look. "Thanks, I'll take that under advisement." She quickly undressed and slipped into her night clothes, moving back to her own bed and climbing under the covers. "Sometimes," she said, looking at the roof, "I don't whether Tuke and I _are_ actually dating. This morning he seemed like he couldn't get away from me fast enough but tonight he seemed so, I don't know, different. Sweeter."

Jaeme shrugged. "Maybe something changed. Maybe you should talk to one of his friends. His roommate Edam's pretty hot."

Shayn considered that and then turned to her. "That really doesn't have any relevance on getting any information about Tuke does it." 

Jaeme grinned. "It would for me."

The other girl shook her head. "I don't know. I need someone who I can talk to who isn't really Tuke's friends, who isn't going to blather on how good a friend Tuke is. I need to know stuff about him, personal stuff, that let's me see how Tuke ticks."

Jaeme looked at her, puzzled. "Uh, isn't that something that Tuke's friends could tell you. I mean they do hang around him and would know how 'Tuke ticks'." She chuckled.

"I suppose," Shayn relented. She closed her eyes, and then a stray thought hit her. Hawks sitting on the park bench, watching them. She pictured him, eyes closing and opening murmuring with some kind of pleasure, a smug expression on his face. Another thought came, Tuke standing opposite her at the front of the building, holding her hand. _He believes all information about what the Empire is doing should be able to be accessible by anyone_. Shayn mused on that. _If that was true_, she thought, _maybe he knows about stuff he isn't supposed to and if he does know some information, then maybe he knows something about Tuke, something that could help me get closer to him_. 

Turning to Jaeme, she asked: "Jaeme, do you know a boy in Tuke's year called Vinnis Hawks?" Jaeme rolled her eyes at her, so Shayn continued. "He was the guy in the park who saved us from being mugged," she explained.

"Don't think so."

" Tuke mentioned that he believes that information should be freely available, that the Empire should not have jurisdiction over the truth, or something along those lines."

"Sounds like a lunatic."

She nodded. "That's what I said. But if he believes that, then maybe he practices it. Maybe he has information about Tuke."

Jaeme shrugged. "I suppose."

Shayn's mind was made up. "I am going to leave a message for him." She pushed back the covers, moving to their comm unit. She flicked through the list of cadets in the comm book and found Hawks. She quickly picked up the receiver and pressed in the buttons for his message bank, knowing he wouldn't be home yet. "This is Shayn Vansen for Vinnis Hawks. Hawks, I was the girl who was with Tuke Dulmer in the park tonight. I don't know when you are going to get this message but please call me back." She spoke the number for her's and Jaeme's unit and then hung up. She was about to proceed back to bed but saw something near the phone. It was a small silver chain and at the centre, the part that would hang down her front was an X. 

"Jaeme, where did you find this?"

Jaeme looked up from her book. "I don't know. I think I found it when I was dusting earlier. Why?"

Shayn fondled the chain, running her hand around the X. "It was my mother's."

****

The next morning. . .

****

7:05 hours.

Vansen strode out of the early morning sun into the building and took the stairs to the second floor. After walking along the hallway until she same to the door number that matched the number on the piece of paper in her hand. She steadied herself, before knocking. A second later the door opened and Hawks was standing in the door.

"Ms. Vansen," he began. "Won't you come in," he said gesturing for her to come inside. 

"I will," answered Shayn but then realised that it wasn't a question but an invitation. She entered looking around his and his roommate's apartment. An image on the wall next to a bed caught her eye and she moved towards it. It was a picture of an Imperial starship, what looked like a Star Destroyer. Shayn had never seen any Imperial starships in real life, only the ones in the simulator, but they hadn't look as real as she thought they actually would in real-life. Hawks came up behind her.

"That's the Star Destroyer _Hammer_," he said pointing and gestured to a red planet beyond, "out near Halmarra."

Shayn turned to him. "How did you get it?"

Hawks shrugged. "I have contacts that can get me all types of information. This," pointing to the picture, "this is from my dad." He moved to a bar arrangement set up in the corner of the room. "Can I get you anything?"

She shook her head. "I've just come here to talk about what we discussed."

Hawks poured himself a cup of a steaming black liquid, brewed in some kind of pot. He sniffed it. "You sure." He took a gulp, savouring the liquid. "It's not every day you get a chance to drink real _raktajino_."

"Maybe some other time."

Hawks' mouth curved up in a grin and he laughed. "What ever you say." He gestured towards the couch. "So from what we talked about earlier, you're here today because you feel that you owe me something about what happened last night, is that right?"

"Yes," she lied. "I mean you saved us from being mugged and possibly hurt. Sure you did it for yourself in the first place, but I suppose your plan worked." 

Hawks eyed her warily. "Uh huh. So what did you plan on doing?"

She shrugged. "Bake you a cake?" She laughed nervously. "You mentioned something to Tuke about him helping you. Maybe I could do that as well or in his place if you'd like."

"Really."

Shayn nodded. "Yeah. Why is there something wrong?"

"Yes, Ms. Vansen-."

"Please, call me Shayn."

Hawks continued. "Yes, Shayn. There is something wrong. The problem is you."

Shayn gaped at him. "Me?!"

"Yes. I am sick and tired of people coming to me, saying 'Sure Hawks, I'll help you' then running off like it's some fun joke." His voice was angry. "It makes me sick, and if that's why you have come then leave now, because if I find out later then I will not be sorry for what happens." Hawks was so sure that she would leave. He had the mental imagery of her getting up and leaving the room. He thought he was so right. As it were, he was quite surprised when she stayed. "Okay."

Shayn frowned. "What did you expect that I would just get up and leave? Even if I was trying to carry out some kind of prank do you think I'd buckle just because you think you've found me out." 

Hawks rubbed his chin. "Something like that." He smiled. "I guess it's your prerogative. If you want to wait until I find out what you are really doing here, that's fine with me."

Shayn sighed. "Hawks, I am here out of the goodness of my heart-."

"Yes," mused Hawks. "I get it now. You're out of goodness for your heart and you want me to, what, help you put some back in?"

"No-."

"Look Shayn, I guess by now I know you are not here to spy on me and you aren't here to help me. You're not here because of what you said, Shayn." He thought it over. "You're here because of Dulmer."

"What?!"

"Oh please," he said rolling his eyes. "Just tell me and stop feigning that you don't know what I am going on about."

Shayn considered what he said, churning it over in her mind and wondering what the hell feigning meant. "Fine," she said finally. "I am."

Hawks mouthed curved up with a huge grin. "Yes," he said, stabbing his hand in the air. "Finally got one right." He composed himself. "Uh, continue."

"Okay. Look you don't need to know why I am here except that I will help you, in whatever it is you wanted Tuke to help you with."

Hawks nodded, now himself thinking over what she was saying. She was here because of Dulmer, for some reason which he couldn't work out, yet instead of just explaining what she was here for. .she would rather not?! Hawks' mind whirled trying to comprehend what she was trying to say and what was going on but gave up. "Fine," he said shrugging. "But let me see if I've got this right. You're here to help me, which I believe is in exchange for some other favour regarding Dulmer but you're not going to tell me what that favour is." Shayn nodded. Hawks didn't want his mind to whirl anymore than it had to so just excepted that. He spoke as if speaking to someone disabled. "That's very good."

Shayn folded her arms in front of her. "So what is it that you want me to do?"

"First, I need to ask you some questions." He shuffled his feet. "You probably think along the same lines as Dulmer, right? With information, I mean."

She nodded. "Is this about that information should be free to everyone that wants it? Tuke mentioned that you believe in something along those lines."

"I do." He took a gulp of the drink and then placed it down on the ground. "Fine we're an empire, fine we live under Imperial rule. But don't you think that everyone should be entitled to know what is going on in this galaxy. It's not like we can do anything about it, anyway!"

"No," she said simply. "The Emperor knows best. Whatever he hides from us, I am sure it is in our best interest. Beside," she countered, "who says he hides anything anyway? I mean, what sort of stuff are you saying he has supposedly done that is secretive."

Hawks laughed, a sad and angry laugh. "Have you ever heard of the Death Star?"

Shayn rolled her eyes. "Alderaan. Is this about Alderaan and how the Death Star blew it up last year? Alderaan was nothing but a breeding ground of disloyal, dishonourable traitors who got what was coming to them for siding with the Alliance. I feel no pity for them."

Hawks' hands clenched into fists but he regained his composure. "Come and look at this," he said icily. He moved to a bookshelf, Shayn following, pulling down a big book with the words _The World of Alderaan: A Peaceful Land_ stenciled on front, with a picture of the blue-green orb. Hawks opened the book and Shayn followed where he pointed, as he flicked over the pages and saw more and more pictures of the planet. Everywhere she saw people, they were all happy, smiling. Pictures showed wildlife of the planet, ponds of water. All of it looking peaceful and picturesque.

"This, this can't be right," stammered Shayn. "I've seen Alderaan, on the news. Marches through the cities, waving banners saying 'Death to the Emperor!' and 'Long live the Alliance!' and stuff."

"What, this?" Hawks pointed to an image taken from a newsreel, which showed protesters surging through streets. Shayn read the words underneath it: 'Alderaanians take to the streets, protesting the Empire following the Rebel victory at Notak.' "There's more," he said pointing around the room. She followed his gaze, where images showed protests, people fighting stormtroopers, buildings being set on fire. "It would have been almost perfect, except for one thing." He pointed to one picture, which was a close-up of another picture, which was hung close by. The close-up was of a small sign on the side of a building, written in some kind of alien language.

"I've seen Alderaanian writing before," she said. "That isn't it."

He nodded. "It's Adyssian." He gave her a look to see if she understood and then it dawned on her.

"Adyssians and Alderaanians hate each other!"

"That's right," he acknowledged. "Adyssians are the one of the most loyal words in the Empire, probably more so than the people of Coruscant. Adyssians would never set foot on a world like Alderaan, which as you say is supposed to be one of the most disloyal worlds."

"Then, if an Adyssian would never go there, then that would have to be. .Adyss!"

He scowled at the pictures. "All of them, save one are mock pictures taken from one of Adyss' major cities. These people were used as actors, staging one of the biggest and dramatic lies in history." He gestured to another picture, which seemed older, then he pointed to another one, which was newer but had the same image as the older one. He pointed at the newer one. "This image is a refurbished image of this one," he said, pointing to the older one, "the only one's actually taken on Alderaan. They are pictures, taken of one of the protests about the Caamas incident." Shayn had a look of confusion on her face.

"What's Caamas?" 

Hawks pointed sadly at another picture of a world. "The first Alderaan. A peaceful people, like Alderaan, who was destroyed not by a Death Star but by bombardment from space."

"How?" she asked. "I mean, even if these people were a peaceful world surely they would at least have a planetary shield to protect them or something."

"Someone disabled it. Some unknown group brought down the shield generators, systematically all around the planet which allowed the Empire to destroy it." He paused. "Do you know what the saddest thing is?"

"No, what?" she asked seriously.

"Not many people knew this, but there were a small amount of people who survived the destruction of Caamas to settle on Alderaan. They hoped to be able one day build a new home for themselves on another world."

Shayn shook her head. "They never did." She looked back at the pictures then turned back to him. "If the Empire didn't destroy Alderaan because they were disloyal then what did they do it for?" She gestured to the book. "If they were peaceful, what kind of threat could they pose to anyone?"

Hawks moved to the bookcase and pulled down another book, this a smaller story book. The name _Vici of Alderaan_ on the cover, with a picture of a girl, about the same age as Shayn holding some kind of metal cylinder. Extending from the cylinder, was what looked like an energy beam, glowing orange. Smaller, behind her extended what looked like some kind of reptile creature, with flames pulsing from it's nose. "This," he said giving it to her.

Shayn looked down at it. "They destroyed Alderaan because of a book?" she asked incredulously.

He shook his head. "Because of the idea inside it. The stories of Alderaan were more dangerous to the Emperor than any weapons." He took a breath. "The stories of the Force."

Shayn's mind snapped alert upon hearing that. "The Force," she breathed. She looked back down at the picture of the girl. "The Jedi."

Hawks nodded. "Back on Alderaan people believed in the Force, the Jedi and they remembered the Old Republic." Shayn looked quizzically at him but he continued. "They remembered things the way they were before the Empire, before hate and fear expanded throughout the galaxy and became common place. And they knew many things."

"Like what?"

He started, then stopped and then started again. "Ideas. Things about people, about who we are and what we do. They knew love was stronger than hate, that people are stronger than weapons, that combined together the people in this galaxy have a strength, a bond, that no one, not the Empire or even the Emperor can oppose."

Shayn thought it over. "So the Emperor destroyed that world to destroy those ideas?"

He nodded and smiled. "He tried but he can never win. He would have to kill or enslave everyone in the galaxy and he could never do that. The more people he kills, the more people who will stand up against him, to fight him and his order."

Shayn looked at him, but for the first time _really_ looked at him. The brazenness, the arrogance, the obstinance and the stupidity were all gone. In there place, like someone removing a mask, something else stood. "Hawks," she asked quietly. "Are you a Rebel?"

He looked away for a second. "Yes."

Shayn tried to reconcile all the emotions she was feeling. All the things she had learned about the Empire, all her experiences in defending it against people she called traitors, they were lies and misjudged. And now she herself was questioning that path. The path the Empire took had seemed so right, nothing had seemed wrong. But if what Hawks had said was true, with the atrocities of Alderaan, Caamas and possibly others, she didn't know what to think. She didn't know who to believe.

She rose, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "I, uh, better go. Nice talking to you. .Hawks." She headed for the door, but in a second he was at her side. 

"I know how you're feeling," he said softly. "I know all the emotions you are feeling, and that you feel betrayed and that you've done something wrong. But I think we need to talk about it."

She looked at him. "I don't know what to think, Hawks. I've only met you last night, but already I feel drawn to you." She sighed. "Not in the way that you'd like, of course."

He chuckled. "That's good. Believe me, I wish I'd had someone to talk to when I'd had my awakening. You should count yourself lucky."

Her face flashed anger. "I don't feel lucky!" 

"Well, you are. Think about all the people out there, all the people here at the academy who don't know what the Empire is really like. All the soldiers on those starships and bases who follow the Empire."

She understood. But she didn't know where to go from here. Hawks gestured back to the couch and after a moment of consideration, she followed him. "I think I'll have that _raktajino_ now," she murmured. "I am going to need it."

****

Several days later. . .

****

7:47 hours.

Shayn looked up at Hawks. "Tonight?!" she gasped. "He wants to meet us tonight?!"

Hawks nodded. "The message was intended for me but I have decided that I trust you enough to bring you along." He narrowed his eyes. "That is, if you intend to come along tonight."

"Oh, I'll be there," she assured him. "I wouldn't miss this for anything."

Hawks nodded. His voice became softer. "I don't what it is, but I only met you last week, but I feel like I've known you longer than that. I feel drawn to you. You're not like any girl I ever met."

Shayn raised an eyebrow. "That's nice, really. But I am involved, Vinnis. I'm with Tuke."

Hawks shrugged. "That's okay. I'll get over it." He started laughing, realising how stupid he sounded. He composed himself. "About Tuke, when do you think he's going to be ready to join us? What I mean is, when is he going to join our movement?" He paused thinking that over. "They sound the same. "He gave a laugh.

Shayn looked down. "Uh, I am not sure."

Hawks was looking out the window. "Because if we had Dulmer on our team then that would really help us with information gathering. I would, if I had a choice, no offense, I'd rather have Dulmer going with us tonight."

"Uh huh."

He turned back to her. "So tell me, what did he say when you told him?"

Shayn looked up at him. "Vinnis, I haven't told him."

Hawks nodded. "Uh huh. Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know how to phrase it. I am afraid of the consequences and part of me doesn't want him involved with this. I am not like you Vinnis. I haven't been a. .Rebel for that long." She said like it was a dirty word. "It's not exactly something that you can just say and not have consequences. At the very least Tuke could laugh at me and dump me. At worst he could turn me in."

"You've told me about Tuke," began Hawks, "and I am not going on about all that lovey-dovey stuff. You've said he is a nice, kind, loving man who cares about you deeply. Maybe there is some other things you should know about him."

Hawks saying that triggered something in her. _That's what I originally was going to meet with Vinnis about, before I got involved with all 'this'_. "Like what?" she said out loud.

"Like that his adopted parents were killed in an 'accident'," Hawks said. "Tuke doesn't suspect a thing about how they were killed."

"And you do?"

He shrugged. "Let's just say that I wouldn't put it past the Empire to do something like that. Why they would do that, however, I don't know."

"And you think he has a right to know."

"Well, it would certainly open his eyes to the possibility that the Empire is not a perfect union. That bad things do happen and bad things have happened to him.

She took a breath. "I'll tell him."

"When?"

"Today. He's got airball practice." Shayn moved towards the door but then turned. "Just don't get your hopes up. Tuke may not wish to join the Alliance." "I hope he does, for both of our sakes." Shayn nodded, then left the room.

****

16:48 hours.

The main academy gymnasium was alive with excitement as the week's airball game came went into it's final minutes. People were seated or standing in the bleachers, shouting at their players, the twelve men on the court playing fast and furious. There were just two minutes left on the clock and the Imperators were up by a full eight points. Their opponents, the Deadmen, though losing were still playing fast and vicious. They were determined to win this game and show the Imperators who would win.

A quick catch by the Imperators from one of the Deadmen left the Imperators with the ball, with the player who caught it racing down the court, bouncing it as he moved, towards the goal ring at the end. The Imperator passed quickly to another player, as someone attempted to get into his way and the Imperator with the ball leapt in the air, dunking the ball through the hoop as the light gravity lowered him to the ground. As the ball had gone through the net, a buzzer sounded and the Imperators points, recorded on a display screen across from the stands, went up by three. The score read as: 38 to 48. The time flickered from 1: 29 down to 1:28. 

The Deadmen now had control of the ball, with a player moving to the rear line. The ball was thrown and another Deadman caught it, dodging others as he bounced the ball down the side of the court, just as two Imperators blocked his way. To left was the sidelines, front was blocked, back was against the rules. He checked left, a Deadman racing towards him. He jumped, throwing the ball towards the player, which headed on course, until an Imperator came out from behind the two that were blocking him, left forward and caught the ball. She landed softly, bouncing the ball as she ran towards the goals. Several Deadmen blocked her path forward, and she faked a pass to another player, dodging around the others and lined up for the shot. She jumped towards the hoop, dropping the ball, just as another player, a Deadman, jumped infront. Before she could get a grip on the ball again, the Deadman had landed and was off.

Tuke bounced the ball, heading down the centre towards his opponents goal and somersaulted over two Imperators in front of him. He landed, leapt up again towards the goals, and dropped the ball neatly through the hoop, landing gently. A cheer went up from the Deadmen's supporters, Shayn, Shanen, Edam and Bobbie Ray among them. The score went up from 38 to 43, Tuke's method of dunking the ball gaining him extra points. The time flickered from 1:03 to 1:02.

Tuke moved back to his position, turning to the Deadmen's team captain, Titus. He nodded to Tuke. "Good work, Dulmer. Couple more like that and the Imperators are meat."

Tuke grinned. "We'll get them. They're meat already."

The Imperators had the ball now. They launched, ball bounced as the moved quickly as possible down the left hand side. Ball past forward to a player in centre, then onto a player to the left, with only a sparse array of Deadmen protecting the area. They passed to a man on right, a mistake, and a Deadman got the ball, who wasted no time in racing for the opposite goal ring. He passed right, with this player continuing on, bouncing to Titus who dunked it through the ring. The time flickered past 0:25, and with score at 46 to 48, the Imperators wasted no time. They launched, for what looked like the final set, ball bounced intricately from player to player, in a network, and the Deadmen could not block the ball. Several Deadmen clustered around the net and the player jumped, intending to leap over their heads and dunk it. The ball launched from his hands. At the same time, Titus jumped and leaped forward, placing his hands on Tuke's shoulders and flipping himself up, so that he was upside down, in the way of the ball which the Imperator had just thrown. He caught it, directing it down into Tuke's waiting hands, with the whole process only taking a few seconds. Tuke was off, running and bouncing, and shot the ball across to another player. With five second left on the timer, the player who had the ball leapt, but his aim was a little off. He was too high and the ball would rebound off the backboard. Tuke looked up at it, as it sailed, and it bounced off the board, but only down to the ring. It rebounded off that, into the air and then dropped through the hoop. The buzzer sounded and the score went up to 49 to 48. The Deadmen had won!

The crowd and Deadmen went wild, cheering and going crazy. Tuke stuck his closed fist in the air as the rest of the Deadmen surrounded him and Titus, and they hoisted Titus into the air. Titus was roaring, shouting cries of victory and the rest of the Deadmen joined in, with their cheerleaders and others coming over to congratulate them. Someone opened a bottle of drink and started spraying it around, alcohol flowing over the Deadmen. The team started going wild even more so, laughing giddily, spraying it everywhere. Tuke stepped out of the crowd, looking around at the stands, catching sight of movement at the central walkway in the midst of the stand, leading down to the court. Shayn burst into view, and she ran towards him, dodging other people until she reached Tuke. She threw her arms around him and he hugged her, looking at her. He heard noise from behind, and turned as several Deadmen had come up behind him and let loose with the alcohol, which sprayed all over Tuke and her. Shayn gasped, drenched within seconds and started laughing along with Tuke.

On the stands, Shanen watched the two teams, as they went about their post-game rituals. One had become a great victor, the other was now a loser. The Deadmen and their supporters had gone wild and were laughing, but the Imperators looked like they wanted to destroy something.

Edam turned to her, pointing down at the Deadmen. "Now you see why I said to wait. The Deadmen are the craziest airball team there is, and this is only their first match!" Shanen said nothing, but Edam hadn't noticed. He watched Tuke and Shayn, as he hoisted her up in his arms. "They do make a wonderful couple, don't they," he said marvelling at them.

Shanen eyed them. "They do," she agreed. Edam wasn't really listening anyway. He'd started talking to Bobbie Ray. Shanen focused her attention on the pair, as the rest of the Deadmen had hoisted Tuke up on their shoulders and were heading in the direction of the changerooms and shower, with Shayn watching them go. "Unfortunately."

Tuke twisted the handle and water emerged from the shower nozzle, flowing in front of him. The water was cold at start, then grew hotter until it was steaming. He twisted another nozzle and the water cooled. He threw his towel over a railing at the side and then stepped under the shower, letting the water stream down his face at first. It was nice just standing here in the warmth.

"So, Dulmer," he heard a voice call, breaking the serenity of the mood. "Who's that chick you were with?"

Tuke turned to the person, a guy named Yashi, but before he could respond someone else did.

"He's Tuke's girlfriend, Ahmisen," answered a feminine voice on the other side of the showers. Tuke turned to her, knowing that it couldn't be anyone but Kayt Zund. Strawberry-blonde hair, now all wet and hanging down her frame, she was the only girl on the team who would defend him. Everyone else would've rather pay him out as well. "Don't you know anything," she said sighing. Kayt turned to him, rolling her eyes about the other man and Tuke turned away. He grabbed a bar of soap and begin cleaning himself. 

"You know Dulmer," he heard Titus speak up, "it's not right for you to go out with a younger girl."

Tuke laughed gently. "Why, Titus? Jealous?"

The team captain shrugged. "You're a senior, she's a freshman. People are going to start talking."

"He's nineteen, she's sixteen," countered Kayt. "There's not a big difference between their ages."

Tuke let his mind wander, allowing the background bickering to be drowned out, as the water rushed over him, refreshing him. He stood their a long time and when he woke from his trance everyone else was already getting dressed, with some already left. He switched off the water, drying himself, and then started getting dressed. 

Before long everyone else had left and Tuke was left alone. He heard footsteps heading towards him and thought one of the others had left something, but they stopped just outside the door leading into the showers.

"You decent," he heard a familiar voice call. It was Shayn.

"Uh, just a second," he called. He finished dressing and called her in.

Shayn looked around the shower area, suspiciously. "I hadn't known these showers were unisex."

Tuke nodded. "Pretty much all sports here are, well, if they have both men and women doing the same sports. Sort of supposed to lessen tension between us." He looked at her, following her gaze. "Why, do you have a problem with that?" he said smiling.

She looked to him, seeing that he was smiling and frowned. "Uh, no. No, not at all." She shrugged. "Why would I have a problem with that?"

Tuke laughed at her and she moved over to him, sitting down on one of the benches. She punched him lightly in the arm. "Are you laughing at me?"

He grinned. "I'm laughing with you." He rubbed his arms and then reached down and pulled on his boots, fastening them up. "Ow. Why do people always do that to me?" he wondered out loud. Shayn wasn't really listening, looking down at the floor. "I am getting the impression that something is bothering you. Want to talk about it?"

She looked up at him, and she seemed to be. .afraid? Of him, not likely but something was bugging her. "Tuke, I. .uh, have something to talk to you about," she began slowly. "I. .don't know how to actually phrase this properly but I'll try to do my best, so forgive me if I start to sound a bit confusing." She gave a half-smile, her mouth curving down into a frown straight after. She took a breath, and he knew this was going to be bad news. "Tuke. .I, uh, went to see Vinnis. .Hawks," she said correcting herself. "I met him the day after he saved us in the park."

"Uh huh," he said carefully. "Don't tell me. Let me guess. You and him-."

"No!" she said screwing up her face. "Good trust issues we have going here. I wonder if the rest of our relationship is going to be like this."

Tuke grinned. "The rest of our relationship? So you think this is gonna go somewhere?"

Shayn looked shocked. "What, don't you?!"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I haven't thought that far ahead like. ._in_ the future.. far." He paused. "What do you do that, like think of plans far in the future, like a _long_ time far in the future?"

Shayn was about to vehemently agree but then stopped, remembering what she had come here to do. "I don't know! But that's part of what I've come here to talk to you about. Tuke, there is some stuff that I have to talk to you about and I think that it involves our, well potential future."

Tuke was about to speak but just then Edam and Bobbie Ray came running into the showers. Both were out of breath, but it was Edam who spoke first. "Tuke. .you've got to. .come see this," he said, pointing back out the way they had come in.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Down. .by the wharf," continued Bobbie Ray. "Some Rebel sympathisers torched a building."

Tuke put a hand up to his mouth. "Skies," he breathed. "Was anyone injured?" They both shrugged.

"We're going down now, to see what's going on. They've got troopers on site, trying to control the blaze but it doesn't look good." 

Tuke turned to Shayn. "Can what you were going to tell me wait until I get back?"

Shayn nodded, her face scared. "I, um, think it would be good if. .I waited." He nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Tuke followed the others out of the room. 

****

Later that night. . .

Ingen Biotechnics,

22:30 hours.

Shayn twisted, then tried again, but it was still no use. The fence, which she had tried to dig a small hole underneath part of, had snagged on her boot and she couldn't wriggle her foot out. The fences used at the facility were of the old metal kind, no energy fields or lasers in sight and so she had been able to burrow under to get inside without fear of damage. But with her boot stuck, it had derailed everything. She finally was able to get her boot free and then rose, dusting herself off. Shayn blew on her hands to warm them up, as she approached the main building inside the deserted grounds of the facility. 

She stepped off the grass surroundings onto the tarmac. Once again she was dressed all in black, as she walked alongside the factory, heading in a direction she was sure Hawks would be in. Her hair had been pulled back in a pony-tail but she had been in such a rush to get out of her dorm before Jaeme came home, that stray strands blew around her. The air was cold tonight, the sky was black from clouds and she shivered as she cautiously turned, sticking her head around the corner of the factory. Hawks was looking around nervously, and he suddenly turned to her when he heard her approaching. Shayn almost jumped but calmed herself.

"Did you do it?" she demanded.

Hawks looked at her oddly. "Did I do what?" Realisation struck him. "The wharf, is that what you are talking about?"

"Yes."

He nodded. "Several keuter bombs did the damage I wanted, although I wish I'd had more material to make some larger explosives."

She gaped at him. "You wanted _more_? What did you think you were doing blowing up a building with pipe bombs in the first place? You could have seriously hurt someone, not to mention the damage you caused to private property."

He glared at her. "There's a war on, in case you didn't notice!" he whispered in a harsh voice. "And it's not a pretty war like the ones we've read about in story books or even the ghastly ones. We are hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. The Imperials, if they knew about where our bases were would squash instantly. It's up to ourselves to watch out for each other." He pointed towards the harbour. "That building was condemned and rotting, and was going to be demolished any day to make way for some new Imperial attraction. With the blaze and investigation into what caused it, the troopers and others would be caught up with it, allowing troopers who could have been patrolling the grounds here to be someplace else."

She considered what he had said. "I don't like to be left in the dark about things," she said angrily.

He laughed. "Chill, would you. You are going to have to get used to some things about the Alliance and part of that is some information is on a need to know basis."

"So you _have_ been withholding information from me?" she said, puzzled. "What about all that talk about everyone should be able to know about everything that is going on with the Empire?"

He looked around for a moment, surveying the area. Then turned to her, face serious. "Okay, think about this for a second. What if I'd told you that I was going to blow up the building? What would you have done anyway?"

She shrugged. "Maybe gone with you."

He shook his head. "There's just some things that you can't tell people. What if I were to tell you about the other sympathisers on Takain? What if you were captured? Interrogated? Tortured? I have allowed myself to be known to you, which is a risk to my own self, but do you see where I m leading?" Shayn nodded. "It's nothing personal." He studied her face and focused on her eyes. "Are you wearing eyeliner?"

She looked puzzled for a second, and then laughed. She looked down, but then realised that could look conspicuous, so looked up. "I just, you know, got in the swing of wearing black clothes, and sorta thought it might help. I guess I got a bit carried away."

He looked around at the black liner. "It's nice."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't Hawk. A girls just got to look her best."

They suddenly heard movement on the other side of the factory, and Hawks looked around. A dark skinned man, who seemed to be in his forties, was moving towards them. He turned back to her. "Just stay here." He stepped away from her, rounding the corner and moving towards the other man. Hawks stopped about two metres away from him and watched as the man dug his hand into a jacket pocket. 

"Agent Kadran?"

Hawks shook his head. "Lurin." The man withdrew his hand from his pocket, empty. Hawks breathed a sigh of relief. "I am glad the recognition's out of the way," he said speaking normally. "What do you have?"

The man pulled a flat oblong out of another one of his jacket's pockets. At first Hawks though it was a datacard, but it was something older, more antiquated. The man gave it to Hawks, and the cadet gazed at it in his hands. He looked up at the other man.

"That's an EBE tape," he said, turning it over with his hands. "It's pretty old."

"Very," said the dark-skinned man. "And I believe it to be of great importance to this planet." He looked around. "This is not a secure site, Agent Lurin," he said speaking Hawks' codename. "I believe it is time we both left the premises." He looked past Hawks, as he saw a head pop back behind the wall. Hawks followed his gaze. 

"Don't worry, she's an ally, my friend. Her first mission." The other man looked once more at him and then up at Shayn before turning and walking off. 

Hawks started walking back towards Shayn, the EBE tape in his outstretched hand. 

Shayn watched him approaching her, and about ten metres before he got there, massive floodlights suddenly activated, shining down on the ground and the whole area was suddenly in light. 

Time seemed to slow down, as Hawks turned, looking behind and then ran towards Shayn as fast as he could. 

Multiple laser beams snapped out, from beyond Shayn's view, and caught the dark-skinned man in the body and he collapsed, dead. More shots fired towards Hawks, sizzling into the corner, where she ducked for cover and then she heard the scream. A strangled scream as Hawks dropped into view beside the wall, smoke rising from his body. Her mind seemed to seize up but her body and Imperial training tookover. She knew Hawks was dead, even as she ran towards him, and as she rolled him over she was sure, his mouth curled in a grimace of pain. 

She pulled the oblong from his hand, and then started running as fast as she could towards the fence she had come in under. 

"Shoot 'em!" she heard what sounded like a feminine voice yell from behind, which caused her to sprint as fast as she could. Several laser bolts sizzled around her but she didn't stop, running off the tarmac and onto the grass. The hole was in front and she dived into the dust, quickly scrabbling through onto the otherside. She rolled over, her feet still on the other side of the fence and she watched them carefully as she directed her feet through the hole and then rose, quickly, taking one quick look at the facility. Troopers were fanning out, in her direction. 

She turned, fleeing, as a trooper raised his rifle, firing several shots. The blasts missed Shayn but hit a tree she was running past, blasting through the trunk. The tree came crashing down towards Shayn, but although it missed her, she wasn't looking where she was going. She sped up and ran full speed into the gully infront of her. She cried out as she fell through the air. . .

****

22:41 hours.

"Ow."

Edam laughed lightly. "That was only a rubber toy, you squeal!" he yelled, peering out of the bathroom. "Quit your complaining, and come and help me." Tuke reluctantly rose, rubbing his arm where the toy had hit him, and moved towards the bathroom. Edam was standing in front of the mirror, fiddling with his tuxedo and the bow tie on the front of it. He was trying to adjust it but it wasn't doing any good. Tuke took hold, now himself fiddling with the tie, to do it right for Edam.

"You know," said Tuke. "One of these days you are going to have to date a girl at least twice and get her to do this." 

Edam gave a fake smile. "That's very funny Tuke. But you know even if I did, I'd still get you to do my bow ties and normal ties, just for me." He gave Tuke a pat on the back.

Tuke finished with the bow tie, looking up. "So, where you guy's going anywhere at this late hour?" He followed Edam out of the bathroom. 

"Just down to the galleria, for a quick stroll," he said pulling on his coat. "I think that this time she might be the one. I might not be home tonight."

Tuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. Enor?!"

"No," hissed Edam. "Sheia."

"Uh," said Tuke, thinking it over. "Sheia Navus." Edam moved towards the door, opening it. "Edam, don't you ever get tired of dating a new girl every week or month, or what ever system you have going?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes, I suppose. Not really."

Tuke thought it over, an image of Shayn in his mind. "Don't you ever just. .dream about being with one person for the rest of your life?" Edam looked back at him.

"That girl has seriously twisted you, man." He stepped out into the hallway, turning to Edam. "I'll check you."

"You too."

Tuke closed the door, moving towards his bed and laying down. It was getting late, well, late by his standards not Edam's. He lay on top of his bed and pulled up a book, a novel titled _The Lost World_. He settled back as he began to read.

Shayn opened her eyes, looking around where she was. She was laying on the ground, on her torso and she felt like she couldn't breathe properly. She rolled onto her back and looked up, but nothing looked familiar. That's when it dawned on her that she was in the bottom of a deep gully. She had known about this place but had avoided it's depth when she had used a small bridge to cross it.

She thought back, still lying on the ground, to the last thing she remembered. The fence. The laser bolts. The tree. . .and the gully. She had run into the gully, her feet finding only air to stand on and she had fallen and rolled to the bottom. But she'd had to have been here a long time. Why wouldn't the troopers have come after her?

She sat up and cringed as a searing pain shot through her head, her right leg and her back. No bones seemed broken, at least as much as she could tell. She looked around and realised why the troopers might not have been able to find her. Shrubs, small and large trees and grasses filled the gully and there would have been many a hiding place for a person to be covered. 

A memory filled her mind, Vinnis' lifeless body flying past and landing on the tarmac. Her rolling him over and seeing his face, dead. Her head ached and she clutched it, trying to massage herself. She checked her pocket, relieved to find the EBE tape in there, although not remembering when she had put it there.

Suddenly a high pitched sound could be heard. She looked around, wandering what was the noise she had just heard. She looked up around the top of the gully, but could see nothing and concentrated on her leg, to see how damaged it was. She wasn't game to try and move it, for if the pain was too severe it could cause her to blackout, or if it wasn't, it could still cause her to yell with pain and give away her location. 

She heard the same sound from before. She looked around again. Still nothing. They had to be troopers, out on patrol around the area to stop her from escaping. She tried to move her toes and could feel them but her leg seemed slightly swollen, but not broken. 

Movement. She caught sight of it, about a hundred metres away. A trooper and several others searching the area with what would be likely night-vision or infrared. One trooper had one of his suit's commlink status signal, which was mounted on his wrist, on. He was like a beacon in the night. 

She moved to her knees, her leg feeling sore but alright, and pulled on a balaclava, her hair hanging out the sides. She rose lowly and started walking in the opposite direction.

_"Gamma team_," she heard the same female voice from before yell from above, and she realised the strange way it sounded was because it was amplified through the stormtrooper headsets. The woman was in trooper gear. _"It's in the gully. Trap it at the southern end."_

Shayn sped up, determined not to allow any injuries to get in her way of getting out of this gully alive. She could see light up ahead, what looked like lights from a building. She burst out of the gully and into the clearing, moving as fast as she could towards the building.

_"Stop Rebel!"_ the voice commanded from behind. Shayn had no attention of stopping, until a group of troopers came into view, directly ahead. They were in her way and she could go no further. She stopped. The troopers had their rifles pointed squarely at her and she glared at them through the mask.

Beneath her feet, something rumbled. The ground echoed and then stopped, quiet again.

_"Hands up!"_ a trooper in front yelled. Shayn complied sticking her hands above her head.

From behind she head the woman congratulating the troopers and then she heard a soft mechanical click. The woman had taken off her helmet.

The ground shook again but none of the troopers in front seemed to care. 

_"Turn around!"_ the same trooper ordered. Shayn turned slightly, just as the ground shook again, this time the most aggressive. The troopers in front and behind lost balance, falling down but Shayn grabbed hold of the building. The troopers near her moved towards the others, checking on them. A tremor echoed again and then suddenly something burst out of the ground, shattering the tarmac in front and throwing the troopers into the air. Shayn didn't wait around and ran off into the night, not stopping until she was two hundred metres away, where she briefly turned back to see what was going on. She almost cried and laughed at the same time, as she watched the red liquid spewing out of the ground and into the sky, as it drenched the troopers. An erres leak! The gods, or at least the miners, must have been smiling on her.

It was just at that moment when it started to rain. She took off again, heading back to the academy. 

****

22:58 hours.

Tuke had almost fallen asleep, having moved to under the covers, where the combination of heat and tiredness, and the inclusion of raining outside had made him almost drift off. 

That was when it happened, when he heard a soft knock. He looked around at first, not sure of where it had come from, and then yelled to the door, "Who is it?" He got no response, so closed his eyes, and that's when he heard the second knock. Something dawned on him, about the way the knock had sounded, it had sounded like. .glass?!

He was immediately up and moved to the window, opening it. He stuck his head out into the rain and that's when he saw her. She was gripped to the drain pipe, where she must have climbed up to reach his floor, and she was. .she was in the rain! He motioned for her to climb in through the window, and she hoisted herself up a bit more before attempting it. She put one foot out, onto the window ledge and extended her hand. Tuke grasped it, and as she let go of the railing, pulled her inside and closed the window. He pulled her close to him, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. She was soaking wet, cold, her hair was all messed up and make-up was dripping from around her eyes. Her teeth were chattering as she seemed to try and make noises.

"Shayn!" he asked, astounded. "Skies, what were you doing out in the rain?" She looked at him for a second, and then burst into tears, sobbing in his chest. He held her tightly.

"C'mon," he said gently. "Let's get you out of those clothes." She didn't say anything, so he eased himself away from her, heading into the bathroom. Shayn looked around for a moment, eyes wide with fear and then screamed. Tuke rushed back into the room, moving to Shayn's side. She wrapped her hands around his neck for protection.

"He's-he's-he's," she said shivering, "he's. .dead!"

Tuke looked at her. "Who's dead?"

"Vin-nin-is," she murmured. "They killed him."

Tuke didn't know what she was talking about, but knew something must have happened to her to get her to act this way, to be as frightened as she was. She was in shock and she needed to get warmer. "Shayn," he said soothingly, but firmly. "You're going to be alright here. There is nothing to fear here, okay? You need to get into some warmer clothes, but first you need to bring your temperature up or you are going to get paimuen chill. The shower will do that, okay?" She looked towards the bathroom, nodding. He directed her into the room. "I'll be outside."

She started removing her jacket and Tuke took that as his cue to leave. As Shayn opened the door to the shower and stepped in, she threw the towel over the side of the ensuite and turned the taps on. The sounds of the water warming Shayn mingled with the still emanating sound of the water that had made Shayn cold.

As Tuke gathered up Shayn's clothes and had them sent to the laundry, the water ceased. She came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her. "Uh, so, what are you going to do about clothes?" he asked her, as she sat down on his bed. She shrugged. "Do you want to sneak over to your building so you can get home or do you want me to do it for you?" he suggested.

She shook her head. "Neither. Jaeme's asleep, I don't want to wake her." She looked hard at Tuke. "I want to sleep here with you."

Tuke gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, okay. Then." His mind had turned to mush. "Clothes" He gestured towards his wardrobe and after several minutes of looking she selected a top and bottom: his white Deadmen sweatshirt and a pair of boxer shorts. She changed in the other room and came out, lying on his bed, yawning. Tuke nodded.

"You take that bed." He turned to Edam's, poking it carefully. " Edam's not going to be back until the morning. I'll take his one."

"Lie with me."

He turned to her. "Shayn-." 

"Lie next to me," she said her voice trembling. "Keep me warm. Please."

Tuke closed his eyes, and just for a second, he thought about doing the logical thing. But he decided on doing the thing that he wanted to do. Without speaking he walked towards Shayn and lay down beside her, pulling the covers over them. Shayn curled up in his arms and he held her.

"Tuke," she whispered. "Thank you." He closed his eyes, tiredness finally taking control.

"My pleasure," he told her, but she was already asleep.

****

The next morning.

7:45 hours.

Edam strode across the front lawn, heading in the direction of his building. His face and expression told everyone around him he was not happy, and they avoided him, except for one person.

"Edam!" said Shanen cheerfully, coming up from behind. "What's up?" He turned to her, his face flashed with anger and she already knew the answer. "Girl trouble."

"Something like that," he said sarcastically. "I wanted to spend a quiet night with Sheia, just the two of us but her blasted roommate showed up and wouldn't get lost. I mean, he shows up at Twenty-three fifteen hours, and we're like, what the hell are you doing here, man?"

"Yeah, that'll ruin it for you," she said, not really listening. "Well I guess you didn't hear what happened last night then." She raised her eyebrows suspisciously. "Troopers caught some kind of Rebel information deal going on over at Ingen Biotronics, on the otherside of the city."

Edam's eyes flashed to one of interest. "Get out of town!" he cried. "What happened?"

She shrugged. "Two Rebels were killed, a third is believed to have escaped, with sensitive information or something." She looked around. "Where we heading anyway?"

He pointed towards his and Tuke's building. "Home. Got to get ready for lessons." He looked at Shanen's wrist, a small bandage around it. "You hurt yourself or something?"

Shanen looked down at it and nodded. "Yeah. I think I'll tell Tuke about the incident at Ingen."

"Have they found out the identities of the Rebels?"

She nodded. "And you'd never guess who one of them is."

Edam pulled his datacard from his pocket, and with clearance granted, opened the door. Shanen followed him into the room, looking around. They could see Tuke still asleep in his bed and Shanen turned to Edam. "He's going to miss the start of classes if he doesn't wake up soon." He nodded and moved over to him. 

"Tuke," he said, taking hold of the top of the sheets and pulling them back slightly. "Time to. . ." He trailed of, momentarily stunned. After a moment he regained control of his speech centres. "Now if that don't take the cake."

"What?" asked Shanen, moving to his side. "Oh my. . ."

There, curled up and sleeping in Tuke's arms, was Shayn Vansen. Tuke had his arms wrapped around her in what looked like a form of protection. From Edam's point of view it looked very romantic.

"Tuke," called Edam softly. "Time to wake-up." Tuke only stirred briefly, so he tried again and this time Tuke snapped awake. He looked across at Shayn then up at the others, smiling sleepily.

"Goo'. .mornin'," he said slurring the words.

"Well," said Edam. "You seemed to have had a busy night without me." 

Tuke chuckled. "It's not every day a girl asks to sleep over, so I thought I might as well."

Edam nodded. "Oh, yeah," he started, sarcastically, "_that's_ what happened. I think I'll ask Shayn what really happened if you don't mind."

Tuke shrugged. "Whatever you say." He looked to Shanen who had moved several steps away. "Hey, Shanen," he called. She nodded his way. 

Recollection of why they were there dawned on Edam. "You's two had better hurry up. You've got about ten minutes before classes and you don't want Brand to catch you running late to class." Tuke nodded, though he didn't move. He turned to Shayn, whispering gently. "Shayn, it's time to wake-up." She must have been a heavy sleeper, he surmised, if him calling almost right in her ear didn't wake her up, and Edam and him had almost had a full conversation without her budging. Another possibility occurred to him, that maybe the stress from last night coupled with the fright she had taken, had overwhelmed her. He tried a different tactic, leaning over and kissing her softly on the cheek. Shayn stirred a bit and he tried again.

"What no lip action?" she murmured, to him sleepily, her eyes still closed.

"We're not alone," he answered. She opened her eyes, seeing both Edam and Shanen around her. They were both looking at her, Edam a huge smile on his face and Shanen. .without. She felt like a wherrin in an aquarium. She pulled herself closer to Tuke. "What time is it?"

"Time for you's two to get a move on," answered Shanen. "You've got about nine minutes before classes start, so if you don't get up now you can say hello to the superintendent at lunch." Tuke threw back the sheets, and then withdrew himself from Shayn, and almost at once she felt cold, like the heat in the blood and body had just gone out. She felt like she was shivering but it was illusory; if she tried hard enough she could stop it. She took a breath and that helped her. Tuke and Edam had moved towards the bathroom, with that girl, Shanen Tulis, shadowing them. She lay back down on the bed, and concentrated on the roof, to give her mind something to do. Because when she thought, all she could see was Vinnis, and then her shivering would increase. 

"-and then I said to him 'You want to take this outside'," recited Edam. "And you no what he said to me?"

Tuke looked away from the mirror, rubbing his face with his towel. He shrugged. "No."

Edam nodded, his face showing an expression of astonishment. "You're right Tuke. He said no." He shook his head. "How'd you get that one?"

Tuke turned to Shanen, who was watching them, and rolled his eyes. "That's great, Edam. A real romantic story. So'd you sleep on the floor?"

Edam nodded sadly. "Slept like a rock."

"That's because that's where you probably crawled out from," spoke up Shanen, moving into the bathroom. 

"Harsh."

She grinned at Edam. "Joke, man. But your story was no way nearly as good as my story." She focused on Tuke. "Last night, a Rebel information deal at Ingen Biotronics was busted by a security squad, with two people killed and a third escaping."

Tuke's eyes widened. "What happened to the third? Have they captured him?"

She shook her head. "They haven't captured him, or her, and they don't what happened to. .," she paused thinking it over, "hem. The deal that was going on, they don't what was traded between the two that were killed, so they think the third person must have taken whatever it was that was going to be delivered."

Edam nodded. "And they know who one of the one's that were killed is."

"Who?"

Shanen looked from Edam to Tuke. "Vinnis Hawks."

Tuke had once heard there were moments in your life when you have total confusion one second and utter clarity the next, and at that moment in time he experienced those sensations. He felt like he knew so much and wanted to burst out with what he knew, but a sobering thought hit him which cleared his mind except for one single image.

Shayn.

He looked out of the room at Shayn, as she lay on his bed and he knew. Somehow, through some sense, she turned to him and she knew he knew. There was a look of expectation on her face, _as she waited for him to make the next move?!_

"Tuke," spoke Shanen, suddenly shattering his mental imagery. "Is something wrong? You've gone awfully quiet." Edam nodded.

He swallowed, carefully considering his next words. "Uh, yeah. I, uh, sorta knew Hawks. Remember Edam, couple years back?" he asked.

Edam shrugged. "I don' know. All I know is that some freakin' Rebel scumsucker," he said violently, "has been living at this academy and I sorta feel sick."

"Me too," agreed Shanen.

Tuke wiped his face one more time with the towel, his mind whirling back into action. "I've got about four minutes," he said, gesturing for them to leave the room. They hustled out, looking oddly at Tuke, and he closed the door. His sports bag was on the floor, near the toilet and he grabbed it, throwing Shayn's returned dry clothes into it. He then pulled on his jumpsuit and did up his boots, quickly leaving the room.

"Sorry, guys," he said. "Gotta rush and take Shayn back to her room." He looked at Shayn hard, as she rose from his bed, then turned to the others. "I'll see you in class." They quickly left the room.

Shanen turned to Edam, her eyebrow raised. "Why didn't she just walk home by herself?"

Edam laughed. "Probably something Tuke's doing the thing of trying to be sweet."

Shanen nodded, turning to the door.

Tuke closed the door to Shayn's apartment and then confronted her. She watched his face, as it showed a mixture of emotions: betrayal, sadness, anger, fear, likely for her; all jumbled up and playing out individually. She herself didn't know what to feel like, but all she could feel was a surprising calm, her body still shivering slightly inwardly, but she was learning how to suppress the urges.

"How could you do this?" he finally, asked, desperately seeking an answer. "How could you go against everything that you've been taught?" He eyed her. "Don't they mean anything to you?"

She shrugged. "I had an awakening," she murmured, "and then I had a choice. Choose the Empire or choose the Alliance, and I picked the side that I had come to understand was the _right_ side." She looked away. "A side that doesn't carry out all kinds of atrocities and then lie to it's people afterwards about it. A side that isn't based on the continuing glory of one man who couldn't care less about anyone or anything, even the people that serves him with undying loyalty." She shrugged again. "I chose the Alliance."

He nodded, trying to comprehend. "So you went there with Hawks? Why?" 

She looked at him sadly, remembering and she opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. "Tuke," she finally said, "what do you want from me?"

He looked at her and then after a moment threw up his hands. "I don't know! I don't know what I am doing even talking to you. But I am, and I want some answers."

"You will only incriminate yourself."

He laughed, an angry laugh with a subtext she had come to understand. Vinnis had often had the same laugh, when he spoke about something the Empire had covered up. "I want to know what went on, not for the Empire but just for me! What were you's doing at Ingen Biotronics?"

She hesitated. "We-we were meeting a contact, about information smuggled in to Takain by an outside source. One of Vinnis' contacts from another part of Takain wanted to meet with us there, because it was a 'secure' site, so that we could do something with the information."

"Why you?"

Shayn shrugged. "I don't know. Something about the information," she said thinking back, "and the tape. But Vinnis never told me that much. He said the less I knew, the less information they would be able to pull out of me if I was interrogated." She looked away.

"I thought I knew you."

She turned to him. "I thought I knew me too," she said ghostly. "I thought what I knew in the Empire was right and they were wrong. I was happy in the simulator whenever I flew against the Rebels and blew them into spacedust. My life seemed to be this big. .," she paused searching for the right word, "road," she finally chose. "One continuous road where there were no problems and nothing was wrong in this galaxy. And then I met Vinnis, and he showed me the lie that I, all of us, had been living in. And in an instant, just a heartbeat later, and I saw the world around me, with new eyes. One breath, and I was someone different." 

He shook his head. "I don't understand."

"Of course you don't." She laughed, sadly. "You can't, at least, not like this." Shayn looked at him earnestly. "You must unlearn what you have learned. Feel free to question what has been told to us because there are people out there who will do and think and say anything in the name of the Empire and expect us all to the same thing, under the guise of following what's been taught and following orders. They don't believe in free thought and think we all should do the same thing."

"The role of the officer is to follow orders,' said Tuke angrily, "not to think. That's for the Emperor to do, for the other members of government to do."

"There is no other members of government," Shayn said forcefully. "The Imperial Senate was it, and that was just one big dumping ground for those races that either want to suck up to the Emperor or else are too scared to fight him, or are fighting him and are using subterfuge. Whatever way, the 'government' has been dead for a long time." 

'The role of the officer-"

"The role of the officer may be to carry out his duty, but not question it? Don't you see where that kind of one dimensional thinking can lead us. We _must_ question it. The things we do, the people we kill. Don't you see how wrong we are?" she pleaded with him. "The Rebels knew this. The planets that the Empire have wiped out did, as did the people that have already been repressed. The Empire attempts to squash them all, bring the entire galaxy under one man's control but it will never work. Many more people will have awakenings, like mine until the Emperor and his reign of terror is brought down. Tuke, _you_ could be one of them." 

Tuke shook his head furiously. "I can't help you."

"Why?" she asked. "Because it's easier to believe the lie?" 

"Because I believe there are no lies," he stated. "Because I, unlike you, still believe in the Empire and the Emperor and nothing you've told me convinces me otherwise!"

Shayn looked at him for several long moments. "Then, what if I could show you what I am talking about?"

He was puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

She wasn't sure if she should divulge the information but knew that people would find out sooner than later. "Vinnis knew a lot about the secrets of the empire and the most influential thing he showed me was pictures taken from Alderaan, mock pictures that were actually taken on the planet Adyss." She took a breath. "If I showed you them, I am sure that it would convince you otherwise. Would you come and look at them?"

Tuke's mind was in a tangle. On the one hand, his mind was saying 'Skies, _she's a freakin' rebel!_ Don't listen to her!' but on the other hand he knew he had a right to the truth and if Shayn _was _telling the truth, that he had been lied to, then he should go there and find out. 

Trust a Rebel or follow his Imperial teachings. His mind debated it, while Shayn waited for an answer. Finally his mind was made up.

"I want to know the truth," he said firmly. He paused. "But I am an Imperial cadet."

She nodded. "Then what happens to me?"

Tuke didn't want to answer that one. "You better get dressed," he said, changing the subject. "We don't have a lot of time."

She frowned. "Classes have already started. There's no point rushing now!"

"I know," he said, mouth curving up. "But if we are going to get to Hawks' place, we better hurry." Her mouth hung open, dumbfounded, and he continued. "The truth may be out there," he said firmly, "but so are lies. Remember that."

"Funny," she said, pulling some clothes out of the cupboard. "That's just what I was going to say to you." She disappeared into the bathroom.

Shayn led Tuke up the flight of stairs, and then they rounded the corner, now on the floor where Shayn said Hawks' room was going to be. But up ahead was a disturbing sight. Around one room, Hawks' Tuke presumed, were a number of black-clothed officers, gleaming white stormtroopers and a person, a young man, dressed in a black cloak. He seemed to be about Tuke's own age, but the way the cloak was done up around him, it gave him an older and sinister appearrance. 

Several stormtroopers moved to block their way, three standing in a line that filled the hallway. Their rifles were raised, but not aimed at them. A deterrence, obviously.

_"Halt,"_ spoke the middle trooper. _"This area is off limits to all but authorised personnel."_ Tuke looked passed them, seeing that the officers were trying to open the lock to Hawks' room. They didn't seem to be having much success. _"Move along."_

Tuke and Shayn didn't move. 

"We. .we were just coming to-to. .," broke off Shayn, turning to Tuke.

"Uh, we were coming to see Hawks. Uh, Vinnis Hawks," he corrected himself. "But, there seems to be a problem here." He turned to Shayn. "Maybe we should come back at a better time, 'honey'." Shayn nodded, her eyes flickering with amusement. They turned to leave.

"Stop," they heard a commanding voice call from behind. They both stopped, looking at each other out of the corner of their eyes. "Turn around." Shayn and Tuke turned to face the other way, seeing who it was that had called them. The young man in the cloak had moved forward. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked them.

Tuke responded. "Uh, sorry. We were just coming to see a guy who lived in that room," he lied, pointing. "He was on our airball team and we wanted to check in, to see whether he was coming to practice today." He gestured to all the people clustered around Hawks' door. "I, uh, guess something came up. . ." He broke off, turning to Shayn. She was staring at the cloaked man, who was eyeing them. He seemed to be. .scrutinising them, but the only thing Tuke could think of for that kind of behaviour would be if they assumed they were Rebels as well. The idea was fifty percent right.

"I guess you haven't heard, then," said the young man finally. "Your superintendent informed me that there would be a special assembly before your morning class began, to inform your academy of the news."

Shayn nodded. "We were kind of busy, if you know what I mean," she said coyly.

The young-man nodded, and seemed to be looking intently at Shayn. Shayn, for her part, didn't seem at all distressed, but Tuke did. "What news?" he asked.

The man turned to Tuke. "One of your classmates was killed last night at a facility near here," at which Tuke pretended to gasp and Shayn put a hand to her mouth. "It appears he was in league with the Rebel Alliance and may have attempted to convince others to follow his cause. We are here to investigate." They heard sounds of someone out of breath and they turned to see Superintendent Brand approaching their way. Next to her was a young man, who Shayn recognised as Vinnis' roommate.

Brand stopped, taking deep breaths with her silver hair bouncing around. "This young man is Cadet Hawks' roommate. He has a key," which the boy abruptly held out, "to allow us enter the apartment, without having to search for the master key or without," she said gesturing to the officers, "having to pick the lock." She glanced at Tuke and Shayn. "Cadets," she said acknowledging them, with Tuke and Shayn saluting her quickly. "You should be in classes, don't you agree?" They nodded quickly and walked off.

"Mr. Cedara, I hope that you. . ." Brand was drowned out as Tuke spoke up. "That was. .weird," he spouted. "That guy freaked me out."

Shayn nodded. "He did seem a bit eerie, but I felt kind of strange around him. A weird feeling, of calm and being at ease." She turned to him. "Like I get with you."

He shrugged. "We didn't find out what we came here to find." He shook his head. "And despite the fact that this should make me feel good, that what I believe about the Empire _is _right, I don't. I feel like I am being denied the truth, because if I don't see what was in those picture, this doubt is going to remain."

"Doubt of the Empire?" 

"Doubt of the truth," he said firmly. "The truth comes first, believing in the Empire comes second. You can't go to step two without going to step one first."

She nodded slightly. "So what does that mean then?" 

Tuke shook his head. "I have no idea." They were outside the building now, heading along one of the walkways. They stopped next to the fountain, sitting down on one of the benches near it. He rubbed his head. "My brain wants to burst out of my skull, I am so confused," he lamented.

Shayn patted him on the arm. "I am sorry."

Tuke looked at her, anger flashing in his eyes. "Don't be sorry! Don't say that because I know you don't mean it!" He blew breath out, turning away.

Shayn looked up at the sun. "Tuke. .," she started before pausing. "I am sorry I got you into this, but I am not sorry who I have become." She shook her head." No. Forget that, I am not sorry I got you involved. ." she trailed off.

They sat there in silence for several minutes, neither sure of what to say, and whether what they would say would hurt the other, but in the end it was Tuke who spoke up. "Okay, let's think this through logically."

Shayn eyed him. "Logically?"

He waved a hand at her. "Okay, Hawks' room's sealed up, guys investigating because he's a Rebel. Our only way of finding out the truth is lost, so what do we have now?"

Realisation struck home inside Shayn's mind and she slapped herself in the forehead. "What the hell is wrong with me?" Tuke looked at her in confusion and she turned to him, excitement on her face. "The tape!" she exclaimed. 

Tuke's eyes widened and he dug into his sports bag, looking around.

"It'll be in my jacket pocket," spoke Shayn and he pulled the jacket out. After a second he pulled a black oblong out, stuffing the jacket back in the bag.

"I've never seen anything like this before," he said, turning over in his hands. "It's old, though. It's kind of heavy, too."

"Really," exclaimed Shayn. "It's an EBE tape."

Tuke looked at her. "How do you know?"

She grabbed it from him, holding the tape so that light reflected off it towards Tuke. Looking at it, what he had thought was plastic had turned silver, showing three letters: EBE. "I'm smart." She looked around for a moment as Tuke gazed at it. "Uh, why are we still here?"

Tuke looked at her. "I have no idea." They ran off.

Tuke pushed the door closed, moving to where Shayn was sitting infront of the computer she had just activated. He glanced around the semi-large room once, whispering to her. "Door's locked. What do we do now?"

The computer's operating system had begun, displaying the symbol of the computer's manufacturer, DPO, with the word Format Three beside it, and the image of a nebula behind it. Shayn inserted the tape into it's slot and then activated the tape drive. At first nothing happened, but then suddenly a program opened up, scrolling data down the screen in three columns. The data was nonsensical, strings of alphanumeric characters, coloured white on the black background.

Shayn and Tuke looked at it for a moment, as the strings kept scrolling, before looking at each other.

"What the hell?" Tuke exclaimed. Shayn didn't know what to do. She felt that this should be the end to the matter that she and Vinnis had gone to all the trouble for, with Vinnis being killed because of it! And here, all there was were numbers and letters that didn't make a single bit of sense.

"This is. . ." She broke off before she swore. "Not that great." 

"It's garbage," replied Tuke. His mouth curved into a sad smile. "Another example of disinformation if I ever saw one."

Shayn shook her head. "What?!" Her mind tying to comprehend. "What are you going on about?"

"You heard."

She studied him. "You don't believe now? You don't think this isn't what we thought it is? Why? How?"

He rubbed his eyes. "I can answer one question at once," he said loudly. "I never believed, remember that. I was here to prove that this was a load . . of something else." He pointed to the data strings. "They don't exactly look much like secrets about the empire, if you ask me. They look like a lot of garbage."

Shayn turned back to it, seeing if it had changed or anything. There was nothing different about it, and she hit the command board angrily. "Maybe it's encrypted or something," she suggested. "Ever thought about that."

Tuke snorted. "Yeah, right. The alliance, supposedly with stuff about the empire is going to use a simple language-to-alphanumeric conversion encryption." He laughed. "Any twenty credit clicker could get that done, and with a lot better detail."

"Are you that blind and naive?" she exclaimed. She wanted to make him see, but he didn't seem to be in the mood for that. He wasn't being reasonable.

Tuke's face dropped. "I think you've had enough time with that tape." He extended his hand towards her. "Now give me the tape."

There was an underlying menace in the tone, she knew. She'd hurt his feelings. But she wasn't going to give up. Not now, and not yet. Until she had to. "No." 

Tuke seemed to consider that and then moved forward, intending to snatch it from it's port. Before he could, however, Shayn had moved into his way, blocking him from the computer. "Get out of the way, Shayn."

"No."

He grabbed hold of her shirt and tried to push her out of the way, but she grabbed hold of his arm, pushing back on it. She wasn't as strong as he, but she would use anything to her advantage. He seemed to grin for a moment, obviously amused about what was going on, but then that went. Then he pushed, hard. Shayn fell back against the computer, as he moved forward to take the tape from it's port, but she lashed out with her legs. She caught him in the chest, pushing him back and then she was on her feet. She'd attempted to wind him with the push, but it hadn't worked and now he was angry. He kicked out, hitting her in the leg, and she cried, momentarily, before responding. She hit him, punching him in the shoulder and he backed off a bit. "If you're worried about hitting a girl," she told him, "don't be. I consider it an insult." She moved forward, trying to goad him, but all it did was get him to move back a bit and raise his fists, raising them to where she already had them. Then she hit him. No punches to disable him or wind him, but a hit to the face that stopped him in his tracks, and he clutched his face, more stunned than hurt.

"You . .bitch!" he gasped, more stunned than anything else.

Shayn shrugged. "I am going about my work, whether you like it or not. I need to know what is on that tape, because one of my close friends has already died because of it, and I am not going to let the people who killed Vinnis do the same to me as they did to him." She took a breath. "Get out of here, Tuke before I have you hurt you more than I did." She lowered her hands.

Tuke watched her hands lower, satisfied. Her mistake. Immediately he was on his feet, catching her off guard and punched her twice in the stomach and once in the face. The air went out of her stomach, and she dropped to the ground, clutching her stomach and whimpering.

"You. ._freakin'_ barsted!" she hissed. Tuke bent down over her, a mistake, as she head butted up, catching him in the mouth and forcing his mouth closed. He fell backwards and she limped over to him, clawing at him as he struggled on the floor. They started wrestling around on the floor, rolling into tables and chairs around the computer room, each trying to outsmart the other one, and be the victor. And it would have continued for a while. If not for the beep.

_Beeep!_

Tuke looked up, or tried to look up, as Shayn had him pinned to the ground, beneath her body.

"What was that?" Tuke exclaimed.

Shayn didn't look away from him. "I don't know."

Tuke struggled for a moment, before relaxing. "Well, it looks like you are on top." Shayn wasn't impressed, growling as she rolled off him, turning to him. But he'd moved once she was off, moving closer to her. As she turned, he was now in her way and he kissed her. It was sudden and it was nice, but it was spoiled moments later when Shayn slapped him hard in the face.

"Don't ever do that again," she warned, shock and anger on the face. He sighed, shrugging, and then she kissed him back, and this time it was a longer kiss, that lingered as they broke away from each other, their argument almost totally forgotten, if not for the aches and pains they had sustained. 

The screen had changed now, no longer the eternal scrolling. Now it showed an image, an image of what seemed to be a symbol, beginning with a circle for a centre with three triangles extending out from it in different directions, coloured a purply-pink colour. The image filled the entire screen. Imbedded over it in black writing was a signal word:

LOYALTY.

It was sinister, for a sinister symbol, on a sinister tape. The screen changed and they began to read.

Shanen looked at the older man who sat before her, a man of dark-browned hair, amost fading to gray. He held a somber face, one she knew had been empowered by realisations about the truth of the galaxy. This man, he'd told her, had seen a lot of disastrous and devastating thing and particpated in 'insidious lies'. "If people knew everything that I knew what I knew, it would all fall apart," he'd told her one night, when they were alone, him intoxicated and her listening. "I hope you never have to experience that." 

He looked from the outside window of the room to her, nodding slightly. "By now," he began, "they know everything. It's time we played our final card."

Shanen nodded, rubbing the polished surface of her uniform. "I wish there was another way though. I wish we didn't have to do what we have to do, especially to him."

The man nodded, obviously thinking it over. The way he looked, he had conflicted feelings about this himself. Strange.

"Give him the choice," he said finally. "If he accepts, he is yours. If not. . . You know what to do." 

She nodded sharply. "I know," she said softly. "It will be done."

****

21:47 hours.

The air was freezing now, echoing the way he was feeling. Tuke moved to the wall of the building, trying to shield himself from the cold, which seemed to somehow be cooler in the alley than anywhere else he'd been. It didn't work, and he really wished he was across the street. The red and gold glowing neon _Kenton Burger_ sign beckoned warmth and welcome and. . . and there was nothing he could do about it. Shayn had wanted to meet him here, to try to not be noticed. When he had heard her say that, he'd thought_, How, out in full view of anyone, could he _not _be noticed?! It's not like people walk around with their eyes closed_. But that was exactly what they seemed to do and it had worked. No one cared. Everyone was to busy going about their own business, here and moving into the rest of the city.

He heard footsteps and turned. An old man carrying a bottle of liquor moved down the side of road, mumbling under his breath about something. 

Behind him, Shayn was following. 

"You came," she said, hugging him tightly. She could feel the hard surface of the EBE tape in his jacket pocket, and he nodded. 

A few gasps of vapour blew from his mouth and then he spoke. "I had to see," he said finally, mind reeling. "I had to know and make sure for myself." She understood, probably not in the way that she wanted, but understood just the same. Loyalty was here, and it had to be dealt with. His mind drifted back to the computer, as information strand after strand had appearred about Loyalty, about Takain and their plans for it. How the Rebel dissenters on the planet had to be dealt with and after a thorough check, a spy would be placed inside the academy. _A spy?!_ An observer, who watched and waited and listened for troublemakers and political anarchists. Someone who answered to a higher authority than the Imperial Navy, not in the government but in some kind of secret order. Planet after planet had been dealt with, and Takain was next on their list.

A sound. A noise from the street distracted them and they looked out. A man, silver haired was approaching. Following behind him was several blonde haired young men and a dark haired older woman. The blonde haired men all had the same appearance and physicality, obviously kiapnan triplets, and the group stopped in the alley, near Shayn and Tuke. 

"Vinnis," began Shayn, addressing the others. She stopped, taking a breath. "Vinnis Hawks, Agent Lurin, died yesterday while with me at Ingen Biotronics." She paused, sensing their thoughts. "I realise many of you know this, but what you don't know is that his death isn't the end, but the beginning of the deaths of all of us, if we are not careful. There is a new project, known as Loyalty, that will be heading to Takain soon, designed to ferret out Rebels. We," she said gesturing at all of them, "are going to have no where to hide so I think that we should all leave this planet, at once." She finished her speech, looking at all of them. To her surprise, the only one who seemed affected by anything was Tuke. The others were eyeing her with removed attitudes or just looking away. It was irritating. "What?" she asked them.

The silver haired man spoke first. "Agent Kalan," he said carefully, "I do not like these hastly prepared meetings." He turned to the dark haired woman momentarily, then turned back. "I understand that with the death of Agent Lurin, and the addition of Agent Arcks, you would wish to have these meetings, but it mustn't continue."

"You put us all at risk," continued the woman. "Lurin understood the need for caution. You must as well."

Shayn turned to Tuke, his face mirrored with the same expression: confusion. "Agent Maran," said Shayn, addressing the older man. "We didn't arrange this meeting."

The older man's face showed pure shock. "You . .didn't?"

"How the hell did you know what to do then?" whispered the woman, hissing. 

"Vinnis told me some brief things," explained Shayn, "such as some of your code names, and he seemed to always meet people at _Kenton Burger_; he had tons of wrappers and dockets in his room."

"Getting to the point," continued Tuke quickly, "we knew to wait around here. The dockets had variances of several days, so we knew they'd be a meeting around here some time. But we did _not_ contact you!"

"Then what is going on." It was one of the triplets. "If you did not contact us who did?" 

No answer was needed. But a memory occurred to Tuke: him sitting on the park bench beside Shayn, turning it over and over in his hands, uttering _It's kind of heavy, too_. "Oh hell!" he cursed. He moved to Shayn, taking the tape out of her jacket pocket. The EBE insignia was glowing. Glowing white, a whiteness that Tuke had seen before.

"A homing device," he breathed. Shayn snapped around to him, as Tuke looked up to see not just shock, but fear, on their faces. A cold breeze hit his face and his Imperial training took over. "Move!" Tuke whispered fiercely. 

The group split, the others heading out of the alley. Shayn's hand was clasped in his as they ran down the opposite end of the alley, away from the _Kenton Burger_, turning the corner. They were now heading up another alley, perpendicular to their previous alley, and hadn't let up in their running. As they reached the end of the passageway they were now in, and rounded the corner, a loud noise suddenly sounded. A loud whining sound that was getting closer and closer.

Transports. 

Tuke looked up into the sky, stepping back to see into the sky. And then he saw them. Several _Lambda_-class shuttles and a transport beside it were heading in towards them, several kilometres away, but closing fast.

"Tuke," gasped Shayn. "We've. .we've still got the freakin' tape!"

He nodded quickly looking at her seriously, a somber expression. "I know."

She watched out of the forward viewport of shuttle _Edias_, as the repulsor lifts eased into their hover mode, hovering over a small three story building. The console in front of her showed the location of where the signal was coming from, and the location of the alley where the group had been. The signal was moving in a northerly position away from the alley, but the homing device showed that there were only two people: there had been a total of seven people in the alley. Her mouth curved up in a smile as she realised the old trick of 'split-and-fade'. It wasn't humourous because it was a trick that had been used so many time before, but because it was futile. She glanced at a lower part of the display console, where five other blips were also shown. The homing device emitted energy that lit the Rebels up like a beacon. The tape had more than just secrets inside it.

She pulled the white helmet with the black eye pieces from beside her, snapping it on her head tightly. "_Team's One and Two, move_!" she ordered into her headset. She turned to the pilot of the shuttle. "_Begin_."

As shuttle _Edias _moved off, shuttle _Gane_ and transport_ Kelem_ dropped lower to the surface of the street they were in, until they were hovering several metres above the ground. Their deployment doors, situated at the bottom of the shuttle opened and stormtroopers began dropping to the ground and quickly moving away, fanning out around the area. The squad from _Gane_ moved in a southerly direction, heading down the roadway that the vehicles had landed in, while the others, two divisions, began proceeding up an adjacent roadway, heading past the _Kenton Burger_, where many a people were watching.

The first person to be struck down was one of the triplets. The Intel private in _Gane_'s troops had the blip wired on his datapadd, and it was a matter of moments before they caught him, blasting him several times with their rifles. He was dead before he'd hit the ground. After that, they began dropping like flies. One of the triplets and the woman were shot, as the woman was trying to hoist the boy over a high, wire fence. Shot in the head several times, the woman fell as the boy struggled to still try and get over. He did, as they shot him and he fell, clattering on the ground. The last triplet had been trying to catch a speeder, waiting in line. Several troopers caught him by surprise, as they jumped over a wall next to him and wrestled with him. The man had tried to fight back, but seeing an opportunity he ran out into the street, and wasn't watching where he was going. A speeder came out of an alley, and he was slammed onto the bonnet before hitting the ground with a thud. 

It was over a mere twenty minutes later, and the major contacted _Edias_. "_It's done_." 

They had no idea where they were now, having ran down so many alleys that they had lost track of direction and what they were even doing now. Survival instincts had taken over and they'd been able to run faster and longer than they'd ever been able to before. But in the end they had to stop.

Shayn looked at Tuke, as she caught her breath. Finally she said, "Do you think they had enough of a chance?" He just looked at her, a sad expression on his face, and she knew. The efficiency of the stormtroopers were often overrated, but not by much. Whoever had planned their setup was good, and would be using the best. Things didn't look good. They moved slowly forward and Shayn realised, as it came into view, that they were near the wharf. Ocean water was crashing onto the piers, making a sloshing sound.

"So now what?" she asked him. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but stopped it, listening. A second later, a _Lambda_-class shuttle burst into view, repulsorlifts whining. They didn't have time to move or to even look at each other, as the shuttle came to a halt, hovering in the air infront of them. Doors opened beneath it and stormtroopers dropped neatly to the ground, moving towards them.

"_Hands up_," ordered the lead guard. They did so, as the shuttle was coming to rest on it's ground hover footpads. These landing struts touched the surface, with barely a shudder, and a moment later the main gangway opened down. Three people exited the shuttle, two scout troopers and a stormtrooper who was leading the group. This stormtrooper resembled the troopers that were guarding Shayn and Tuke, except that on it's left shoulder a small purple insignia of the Empire was shown. The group stopped several metres away from Shayn and Tuke.

"_Finall_y," came the leader's voice, letting out a breath of air. "_You don't know how much trouble you two have been. And you don't know how long I've waited for this moment_."

That voice. Shayn knew it. It was the same person that had tried to capture her in the gully, but there was also something else about it. The person seemed familiar from somewhere else. She glanced to Tuke and was shocked. Tuke was just staring at the woman, his mouth open. She turned back to the woman. "Who are you?" she asked.

The woman reached up to her helmet, and with a soft mechanical hiss, the helmet became detached from the rest of their suit. Taking both sides in her hands she pulled it off, as brown wavy hair fell down around her shoulders. Shayn knew who it was but never expected that it would be her.

Shanen Tulis.

"Don't you know history repeats itself."

She stood there, helmet tucked under one arm, eyeing them with a smile on her face. Her face, though showing humour, showed no life. Her eyes were dim.

Anger welled up in Shayn as she saw the woman. The woman who was responsible for Vinnis' death, possibly others, and she. . She had come to Tuke's apartment, while Shayn was there, smiling about what had happened. What had _freakin' _happened! She lunged forward towards Shanen, but stopped as the guards beside her fired into the ground before Shayn. She jumped back, stepping back to Tuke.

Finally Tuke spoke. "How could you _freakin' _do this?" he yelled, his face tightened in a grimace. "How could you, Shanen?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "They're Rebels, Tuke. Don't you know what that means. That's one of the main reasons why people join the Navy; to fight against all that would oppose the Emperor. The Rebels would seem to fit that requirement."

"So that's what this has all been about? All of it," mused Tuke carefully. "To get the Rebels here on Takain. It was a smart plan."

Shanen exhaled some air violently. "Smart had nothing to do with it. It was the timing. We found that EBE tape that was being sent here but decided to give whoever was destined to find it a surprise."

"Who is 'we'?" asked Tuke. Shanen did not respond.

"What are you going to do to us?" asked Shayn. From what had hapened to Vinnis she knew that nothing good could happen to them.

The other woman seemed to smile, a sadistic smile. "Whatever I want, Shayn."

"Shanen," said Tuke. She looked at him, the expression fading. "I want you to let Shayn go," he said, his voice pleading. "Take me instead."

"You seem to be under the assumption that you are in charge here," Shanen said, her voice showing irritation. "You are not. I am and so I will be the one who offers any special agreements, not you." She paused. "She's in too deep Tuke. She's participated in Rebel information deals and knows too much stuff." Her mouth curved even higher. "Besides that, I don't like her. She's not good enough for someone like you."

Shayn snorted. "Let me guess, you are?"

The other woman ignored her. "She's too far gone for you, Tuke. But it's not too late for you." She paused. "My superiors have an offer for you."

Tuke shook his head. "What offer?"

Shanen looked at him earnestly, emotions raging around in her eyes. "Join me. My superiors think that you would work good in our team. They think that you have the ability."

"Don't listen to her," Shayn warned. "She's full of stang."

He nodded. "I know. I also know that there is nothing out of the ordinary about who I am or what I am. There's no real reason why they'd want me anyway," he said to Shanen.

"You're wrong," Shanen told him. "There _is_ something valuable about you, Tuke. They know you have potential. And that's why they have decided to give you the choice."

"A choice?" asked Shayn. 

Shanen looked Tuke hard in the eyes. "A choice. A simple choice." She pointed at Shayn. "All you have to is choose between her . ." She paused. "And me. Choose wisely, Tuke. Because you know the consequences of being wrong." 

"I'll try to keep that in mind," he said sarcastically. And then he thought about it. Shanen had given him an offering for joining her group, and becoming like her, and that was enough to make Tuke want to vomit. This . .secret order that she belonged to, this wouldn't have been the first time they'd done this, if the information on Loyalty could be trusted. They would have been disrupting life within the Empire for a long time already to become so adept at it, and who knew how many people would have been killed. 

His mind processed all this, coming to a decision three seconds later. He looked from the ground to Shayn, where she was still standing in anticipation several metres away. He moved towards her, her face divided between grief and happiness and wrapped his hands around her, kissing her deeply.

At that moment Shanen Tulis' heart did not simply sink, but it completely and irrevocably shattered. As Tuke broke away from Shayn, her eyes were blazing with a fury, and she slowly closed her eyes. "Kill him."

As Shayn's mouth dropped open, the guards to the right and left of her opened fire, two blasts catching Tuke in the chest. He gasped once, before slowly thudding to the ground.

"_Tuke_!!" screamed Shayn, dropping beside him. She could see his eyes fluttering and she clasped his hand in hers. "No, Tuke!" she told him desperately. She grabbed him by the shoulders, eyes flickering back and forth she needed to do something, to keep him alive somehow, but she couldn't think of anything to do. For a second his eyes seemed to focus on her, as drops of blood dripped from his mouth. He looked at her, looking into her eyes, before finally they closed. She felt him shudder briefly, before becoming perfectly calm. And then Tuke Dulmer, Imperial starfighter cadet, died.

Tears dripped from Shayn's eyes onto Tuke's face as she sobbed, before two stormtroopers grabbed her arms and hoisted her up. The group was led away, back towards the shuttle. 

The body was left alone.

_He looked up at the sky. _

The sun was bright now, had gotten higher while he hadn't been looking. He put his hand over his brow, shading his eyes from the brightness of the sun, able to take in a look of the sky. The deep-blue sky blazed overhead as he sat back down among the long, dark-green grass and waited. He watched, waiting for the sign, knowing it would come soon. He didn't know how long he had been here or what it was he was looking for, but soon it would show itself. He froze. Maybe sooner than later. . . A noise from behind had startled him, and he rose, turning to where it was coming from. A light, a magnificent light was coming in low towards him. He stared at it, as the object grew bigger and bigger as it shot towards him, then it passed him by. Quickly, he turned , following the blast of light as it soared onwards. The astral phenomena, a comet, blazed a deep purple colour as it continued through the sky, twin tails forking out from it behind it. It's wondrous beauty dazzling as it followed in the same direction as before, a direction taking it lower towards the ground. He took off racing after it with all his might, but in his heart he knew that he would and could never reach it. It would be too far off by now and even running at the speed he was going would take too long to reach it. Suddenly, something inside him made him stop running. He glanced toward the comet, and saw it sparkle as it disappeared over the horizon, and then a brilliant flash like lightning flashed from where it was.

He counted. One one thousand, two one thousand, three one. . . Suddenly, the sonic boom hit him, then repeated, then repeated once again. He was almost knocked off his feet by the deafening noise, but he covered his ears with his hands, and tried not to fall over, the ground seeming to be shaking under his feet. As the sound died away, he looked up. 

Something was racing his way. A huge moving wall, which glistened with energy, was racing across the field in front of him. It seemed to stretch to the sky, and as it moved, it moved with a odd noise that sounded like breathing. He backed up, but knew there was no where to go. He stopped, and placed both hands down on his sides and watched. 

He turned, suddenly, for he could feel a disturbance in the surroundings behind him. Peering above the long grass stalks, he finally saw her. A young blonde haired woman, with hair, for the most pulled back in a tight bun, but several short strands hung off her brow. She wiped them away, as if she could sense his thoughts, and then started gesturing wildly for him to quickly approach. He turned, looking over his shoulder, as his eyes widened as the wall approached him. He took off, running as fast as he could towards her, with the wall closing on his heels. He jumped forward, leaping through the air towards the woman, and then crashed down in the dirt. His bones ached, and he looked up, as the woman came and sat beside him, and then she held her hand to the sky. A purpley coloured ring, situated on her ring finger glowed, and then the barrier swept over them, the glow from the ring seeming to deflect the energy wall. 

He gazed into the woman's eyes, as she looked down at the field. They seemed distant, sad and lonely, but when she him looking at her she brightened. She couldn't have been older than himself; she must have been at least a year younger. 

She pointed down towards the ground, and then he could feel the ground begin to fade away. He felt himself floating, as if in a river. He could feel water beneath him carry him along, lapping lightly at his feet, as they drifted lazily downstream. He looked at the woman, and she looked forwards, towards something. Then he could feel it. He looked forwards and he could see the light. An immensely powerful light that came from ashore, and he could see shapes moving beyond the light and realised they were people. People moved towards the bank and beckoned towards him to come ashore as well. They drifted towards them. 

A noise. 

He looked from left to right but could see nothing, but he could now hear the voice. The voice was beautiful, and he allowed himself to turn, once more and look, and he could see her. 

She stood there hands on hip, mouth tilted in a frown as she eyed him. It was almost comical the way she regarded him. He felt himself slow in his movements towards the light. He looked at her, gazing at her face and her skin. They were like nothing he had ever seen before. Something, he wasn't sure, otherworldly, about the way she looked at him. Her skin was a browny colour, luscious and sensual and her hair was brownish-black, tied up in a pony-tail, which complemented her skin. Her eyes were a deep blue shade and they looked as if they should seem out of place on one of her skin tone, but they didn't. She was dressed in a simple white dress, with a golden necklace hanging down and the way she appeared, she resembled a heavenly spirit from religion. 

The blonde haired woman beside him touched his arm, and startled he turned to her, looking into her face. 

And he knew who she was.

She looked into his eyes, the sad expression on his face and he desperately wanted to go with her. But he rose shakily, finding himself miraculously treading carefully on water, for the first few seconds. He'd taken a few tentative steps forward before committing himself onto the path. And then he sank beneath the water. 

His arms felt like lead as he looked forward in the water, looking for something, anything to help him out from the depths. But there was nothing. The water seemed to stretch below forever. He raised his hands slowly out in front of himself a first until momentum propelled them upwards. And he felt something grab onto them.

He let out the breath and a second later he was laying on the grass beside her, the woman kneeled over him. He looked up into her eyes and she looked into his, and then she lay beside him elbow propped under her chin. 

Something inside him stirred. He knew who she was too.

They were seperated by about a metre. She shifted, laying flat against the ground, head tilted from the ground to look at him, and she extended her hand. He looked at it, seeing a brilliant, white circular shaped tattoo imprinted upon it. Something stirred inside him and he knew how it had been formed. An X was placed down, then a cross, then another symbol until more and more symbols were overlapping one another. He extended his own hand, placing it on top, and the same symbol, now black appeared on his own hand. And he knew what it meant, and what would happen. 

Edam Astrun entered the Temu General Medical Facility. He glanced around several times before heading to the Information centre. The droid behind the counter looked up at him.

"May I help you?" 

He nodded, explaining why he was here. The droid signalled an escort droid and Edam was escorted toward the ward rooms.

Entering the private ward, Edam saw him stretched out on the bed, life support systems hooked into him, bandages around his head and arms, with a deep purple bruise over the left side of his face. His eyes were closed and all that could be heard was the soft beeping of the machines. There were others in the room, Edam could see. He'd seen them when he first entered the room. Bobbie Ray, Nev Reoh, Titus, Kayt Zund. Even Kamilah Galsten and Pava Ek'Noor had come to see how he was, even though they were not really friends. The others in the room gave him greetings, and Edam leant on the wall next to Bobbie Ray.

"How's he?" he asked. 

Bobbie Ray shook his head. "He hasn't woken up yet. Doctors looked in a while ago, put in some drugs or something." 

Edam nodded. He looked to the door where a medical technician had entered. Stopping at Tuke's side he briefly put his hands down on his head, before adjusting some controls on the life support. Edam caught his eye as he left the room, and then Edam exited the room, following him. It was a short journey. The silver haired man was already gone.

"Tuke!" he heard someone gasp from inside. Entering again, Edam found Tuke's eyes fluttering open and Kayt had moved to his side, speaking to him softly. The others were beginning to crowd around as well. He couldn't really say anything, but it didn't matter at that moment. He was back.

The door to the roof of the medical facility opened and the silver haired man stepped out into the breeze. The white shuttle sat serenely on one of the pads and he quickly entered it, sitting down with the others. A dark haired older man and a younger woman were seated on several flight couches.

"It's done," he said to them. "I have awoken him."

The woman nodded, her face now showing the hint of a smile. The other man put a cigarra in his mouth, smoking on it. "You weren't recognised?"

The other man shook his hand. "Dulmer would not have recognised me as one of his contacts; he's only now awoken."

The smoking man did not say anything for a moment, ruminating. "Good work," he said finally. "All actions that had been taken in anger," he said, looking pointedly at the young woman, "are cleared. Our work on this planet is almost finished."

The young woman nodded. "Loyalty." The smoking man nodded.

From the upper cockpit, a cloaked figure looked down at them. "We're ready to depart, sir." Acknowledged, the young man disapearred into the cockpit, and moments later they could feel the shuttle moving off.

The silver haired man regarded them with a removed attitude. "I have been considering what has occurred and I must know. Why are you going to leave him alive? Why leave such a risk to us?"

The smoking man puffed on his cigarra and looked at the man. Finally he spoke. "One thing I have found in my life is that more dangerous than the man we know could be the man we don't know. Tuke Dulmer's death as a martyr could have resulted in many of his fellow cadets stepping up in his place. Their subsequent elimination could have proved a . . nuisance to us." He took a deeper puff, letting out the smoke. "Besides, you know how important he is to the equation." 

The silver haired man considered it for a moment, before nodding sharply. 

It was almost a week later when Tuke was let out of the medical facility. A small transport delivered him and Edam back to the Imperial Academy. The damage to Tuke's nerves still hadn't healed properly so he had been required to use an antigrav chair, which Edam pushed him across the front lawn in. Their apartment loomed before them and Tuke settled back in the chair still thinking. He had been doing a lot of that since he'd awoken. Thinking over what had gone on and always coming up with the same image in his mind.

Shayn.

He could see her, smiling, frowning, sadness in her eyes. The way she had looked so beautiful when they'd gone on their first date, how she had been so daring and flew in the face of the Empire, and how she had stood up to the woman who had killed Hawks. 

Edam was saying something. "And she's got dark brown hair, about down past her shoulders." Tuke had no idea what he was talking about and told him so. "You know!" Edam exclaimed. "The girl. The new one." Tuke shook his head. "Nada Yeleey. She joined the other day, while you were in the hospital." Tuke nodded, not really caring. He suspected Edam was just trying to cheer him up, but it also seemed to him that Edam didn't know what to say about what had happened. Everyone knew about Shayn and Hawks now; how they were Rebels, and about the four deaths in Temu City. About how Shanen had disappeared from the Academy, all her belongings gone, as if she were never here. And there was one truth that no one had told him about, that he'd had to find out for himself.

Shayn was dead.

So it wasn't surprising that Edam didn't know what to say and that the counselors felt that he needed to express his emotions. Tuke just knew he would deal with his grief in his own time.

"You all right," Edam asked, bending down beside him. Tuke knew that Edam wouldn't be concerned at all about the death of a Rebel, but he was lucky to have a friend who was concerned about him like Edam was. 

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine." Edam didn't seem convinced and he would've been right, but Tuke gave a soft smile. Edam seemed to accept it.

As they were passing the fountain, they heard sound from behind, of someone running. Edam turned the grav chair so that Tuke could see who it was. A young girl, red hair bouncing around was running towards them. Tuke recognised the girl as Jaeme Miranda, Shayn's friend and roommate. 

"What's up?" greeted Edam.

Jaeme took several deep breaths before speaking. "I've been trying to catch you, Tuke. I was going to see you in the hospital, but they didn't let me see you. I tried to catch you when you left, but I missed you."

"Uh huh."

"What about?" Tuke inquired.

Jaeme's face showed the utmost seriousness. "I've got something to give to you, the only thing that I was able to keep of Shayn's. Everything else was taken."

His face was one of curiosity now. "What? What did you keep of hers?"

She dug her hand around in her jumpsuit's pocket, pulling something out. "This," she said handing it to him. It was a glittering silver chain, and from the centre, the part that would hang down the front when worn, was a small, black X, made from some exotic material. Tuke looked at it, turning it over and over in his hands. 

"It was her mother's," explained Jaeme. "It seemed like something personal to her, that I thought I better keep it. I kind of thought you should have it."

He looked up at Edam, and gestured to him with the chain. The other man took it from him, clasping it around Tuke's neck. Stepping back, he looked as Tuke smiled. Tuke grasped the chain with his hand, holding onto it tightly.

The End.

Some elements have changed between the story as it was in 1999 and the way it is now. In one scene Tuke originally went to his room and Shanen was waiting for him, but I got rid of that because I was told she seemed too much like a slut (?). I originally had the person named Zea mentioned as falling down a flight of stairs in the home and Tuke feeling responsible for her dying, but my friend Raina said I shouldn't have both Zea and Shayn dying (though they still kind of do). Since this story was now a standalone I was going to change the ending so that Tuke got captured and tortured, with either Shayn rescuing him or having her still dead and him brainwashed. But that seemed too much like _1984_ or so I lead myself to believe. And I couldn't be bothered.

I'm not sure whether I'll ever finish the other story, which actually turned into three continuing pieces. Those three would have been like this one, using the _Star Wars_ universe (plus others) as a background, one set during _Empire_, one set nine months after Endor and another about four months after that. They would have introduced the Lucsly. I like stories when they use weird things and that would have had time travel and alternate universes and Grey Jedi. Probably would have got a bit much because it wouldn't seem like _Star Wars _anymore. For instance, I like Zahn's stories as _Star Wars_ novels. But I love _The Black Fleet Crisis_ but for being a politics-ethics-war story.

May the force be with you.


End file.
